April 2009

CHICAGO – The nature of making an independent film versus a mainstream Hollywood production is evident through the efforts of two Chicago-based producers – Steven A. Jones and Paul Duggan of “The Merry Gentleman”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – It’s interesting that Criterion has chosen to give their unmatched treatment to two films in the same week that were drastically censored upon their initial releases - “In the Realm of the Senses” and “The Wages of Fear”. The latter was edited for issues of perceived anti-Americanism and for issues of length. The former was censored for, well, everything.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Biggie Smalls deserves better than ‘Notorious’. It’s not that there’s anything drastically wrong with this reasonably well-made and very well-performed biopic but it’s a by-the-numbers, predictable film about an icon who was simply one of the best that ever lived. The ‘Big Poppa’ who could ‘Hypnotize’ with his rhymes should have more than an average biopic.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – With ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ opening this Friday, fans can catch up on where Hugh Jackman’s legendary character earned a following big enough to warrant a summer tentpole release date in the Blu-Ray release of the “X-Men Trilogy” including the two films by Bryan Singer (“X-Men” and “X2: X-Men United”) and the three-quel by Brett Ratner (“X-Men: The Last Stand”).

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Actor Hugh Jackman.

CHICAGO – This 20-image slideshow contains the official press images from the Tempe, Arizona premiere of Fox’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” starring Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, and Ryan Reynolds. The film, written by David Benioff and Skip Woods and directed by Gavin Hood, opens on May 1st, 2009.

CHICAGO – Welcome to a special edition of the DVD Round-Up, HollywoodChicago.com’s infamous column covering smaller titles that may have gone unnoticed by the Best Buy circular. With all the buzz surrounding Fox’s upcoming “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” with Hugh Jackman, there are several companion DVD releases, including the theatrical trilogy on Blu-Ray (which will be covered here later this week), and three animated releases for serious Marvel, Wolverine, and X-Men fans.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The Criterion Collection continues their brilliant Blu-Ray release pattern this week in which they induct a new film into the collection (“In the Realm of the Senses,” which will be reviewed separately) and bring one of their most beloved titles on to the next-gen format on the same street date. The classic this week is the amazing and timeless “The Wages of Fear,” better than ever in HD.

CHICAGO – The potential interactivity between handheld systems and next-gen consoles feels like an untapped resource in the gaming world but that’s starting to change in 2009. “Resistance: Retribution” on the PSP opened up an alternate mode when synced with “Resistance 2” on the PS3. Nintendo takes it a significant step further with “Final Fantasy Chronicles: Echoes of Time,” a well-made role-playing game that hints at the future of handheld and console interactivity by allowing multi-player across the platforms.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Mickey Rourke’s multi-award-winning performance in “The Wrestler” anchors one of the best films of 2008, now released on Blu-Ray and DVD. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you truly must do so as soon as possible, and if you love the movie like so many people do, you’ll be satisfied, if not overly impressed, by a decent HD release.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Abramorama’s “Anvil!: The Story of Anvil” has been building buzz nearly as loud as the heavy metal featured in this excellent documentary, the best of the year so far and such a good film that I can nearly guarantee that you won’t see a better doc for the next eight months.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Some 1970’s and 1980’s horror movies have lost their luster. Have you seen the original “Fog” lately? Any of the “Friday the 13th” sequels? As much as I love it, even “A Nightmare on Elm Street” looks its age. Not “Hellraiser”. Clive Barker’s twisted journey into the world of desire and darkness has all the power it did over twenty years ago and now you can see for yourself in HD.

CHICAGO – A director has been announced for the sequel to “Twilight” and “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon,” as Summit Entertainment made it official today that “30 Days of Night” helmer David Slade would take the director’s chair on “The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse,” already scheduled for release on June 30th, 2010.

CHICAGO – For those stoked to see “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” after “Transformers” in 2007 with Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf smashed box offices, its release date of June 24, 2009 might still feel like light-years away.

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – One of the best films of 2009 is currently playing on HBO in the original “Grey Gardens”. The film itself doesn’t quite stand up to recent accomplishments of the network like “John Adams” or “Recount” but it undeniably features the best performance of the year, including theatrical releases, in the revelatory, career-best work from Drew Barrymore.