CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
July 2009
Blu-Ray Review: Roman Polanski’s ‘Repulsion’ More Riveting Than Ever
Submitted by BrianTT on July 31, 2009 - 2:58pmCHICAGO – I unabashedly adore “Repulsion”. A lot of Roman Polanski’s work in the ’60s and ’70s - “Repulsion,” “The Tenant,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Chinatown” - stand as influential films in why I became a film critic and lover of movies in general. So, a Criterion edition of “Repulsion” is kind of a wish-list dream made reality. It lives up to my high expectations.
Video: Trailer For ‘F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn’ Downloadable Content
Submitted by BrianTT on July 31, 2009 - 11:22amCHICAGO – Loyal readers will know we still have nightmares about our “F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin” experience and loved one of the best shooters of the year to date. So, we’re thrilled to present the trailer for the exciting expansion pack with four new single-player levels and new multiplayer modes for the game called “F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn”.
Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen Star in Ambitious But Flawed ‘Funny People’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 31, 2009 - 10:59amCHICAGO – Judd Apatow’s “Funny People,” starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann, is like watching a friend try out a new stand-up routine. As with a lot of attempts at trying something untested, it doesn’t quite work out, but you have to admire the effort, if not the execution.
Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen Star in Ambitious But Flawed ‘Funny People’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 31, 2009 - 10:55am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Judd Apatow’s “Funny People,” starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann, is like watching a friend try out a new stand-up routine. As with a lot of attempts at trying something untested, it doesn’t quite work out, but you have to admire the effort, if not the execution.
Interview: Marcus Dunstan, Patrick Melton on ‘The Collector,’ ‘Saw VI’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 30, 2009 - 10:04pmCHICAGO – Screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton (the upcoming ‘Saw VI’) met each other at the University of Iowa and both are originally from Illinois. Dustan makes his directorial debut with the release of ‘The Collector.’
DVD Review: ‘Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season’ is Romantic, Beautiful TV
Submitted by BrianTT on July 30, 2009 - 11:45amCHICAGO – The minute I saw “Pushing Daisies,” one of the very first notes I took while watching the pilot was “this is never going to last”. It was great, but it was also too quirky, strange, romantic, and hard to put into a definable box, making it unlikely to find an audience. Now that the second-and-final season of “Pushing Daisies” is on DVD, we can look back and see the beauty of the brief time we had with this great show and wonder what might have been.
Slideshow: 19-Image Gallery For ‘A Perfect Getaway’ With Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn
Submitted by BrianTT on July 29, 2009 - 9:50pm
(L to R) Cydney (Milla Jovovich), Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Nick (Timothy Olyphant) continue their hike.CHICAGO – This 19-image slideshow contains the official press images for “A Perfect Getaway,” starring Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez, Chris Hemsworth, Marley Shelton and Steve Zahn. It was written and directed by David Twohy. The film opens on August 7, 2009.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Prison Break: The Final Break’ a Lackluster Epilogue
Submitted by BrianTT on July 29, 2009 - 9:24pmCHICAGO – Very few shows have plummeted as far from their peak to their ignominious end as did Fox’s once-great “Prison Break”. For proof, look no further than the misguided “Prison Break: The Final Break,” what is essentially a straight-to-DVD epilogue at least here in the United States.
DVD Review: ‘Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II’ Delivers Laughs
Submitted by BrianTT on July 29, 2009 - 1:59pmCHICAGO – Who would have guessed that some of the best “Star Wars”-related material of the ’00s would be produced by Seth Green? And yet, there’s no denying that a lot of what Green delivers with “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II” is smarter than a majority of the product coming out of the Lucas machine. Check out the special, now on DVD, and see for yourself.
Bryce Dallas Howard to Play Victoria in ‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 29, 2009 - 1:36pmCHICAGO – Rachelle Lefevre will be replaced in the third “Twilight” film, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” by “Terminator: Salvation” star Bryce Dallas Howard, according to Summit Entertainment, the producers of the films based on the Stephenie Meyer books that star Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
Video: Reveal Trailer For ‘Call of Duty’ Sequel ‘Modern Warfare 2’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 29, 2009 - 11:33amCHICAGO – It may have been airing on TV for awhile, but now we can share the best video game preview in a very long time, Activision and Infinity Ward’s 2-minute reveal clip for the incredible-looking “Modern Warfare 2”.
The 10 Biggest Emmy Snubs of 2009
Submitted by BrianTT on July 29, 2009 - 10:00amCHICAGO – The 61st Annual Emmy Award Nominations were an interesting melting pot of smart, brave, new choices and old-fashioned, predictable, stale selections.
DVD Review: Catch Up With Animated ‘G.I. Joe’ Before ‘Rise of the Cobra’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 28, 2009 - 5:26pmCHICAGO – “Yo Joe!” Before Paramount unleashes “G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra” in theaters on August 4th, 2009, viewers should catch up with the height of the phenomenon with Shout Factory’s “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero: Season 1.1,” now available on DVD.
Blu-Ray Review: Riveting ‘Coraline’ Makes For Fantastic Blu-Ray Release
Submitted by BrianTT on July 28, 2009 - 4:54pmCHICAGO – Great films refuse to go away. Since I saw Henry Selick’s excellent “Coraline” months ago it has lingered in my memory like a dream and watching it again on the recently-released Blu-Ray (“Coraline” is also available on DVD), I’m reminded of how clever, creative, and captivating this piece of film was in theaters and will be every time I watch it with a perfect home release.
Blu-Ray Review: Celebrate Moon Landing Anniversary With ‘For All Mankind’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 28, 2009 - 2:56pmCHICAGO – Is there any better way to learn about a unique experience than from the people who were there? You can read expert opinion, historic analysis, and news articles for one perspective, but it will never be quite as rich as that of actual participants. This undeniable fact lends immense power to Criterion’s new version of Al Reinert’s “For All Mankind”.
Honoring Oscar-Winning Actor Ernest Borgnine: An Appreciation
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 28, 2009 - 12:17pmCHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com’s ace photographer, Joe Arce, recently photographed the Academy Award winning actor Ernest Borgnine at a book signing event in Chicago. The 92 year-old survivor was in excellent spirits, telling many rich anecdotes to the gathered crowd.
FOX Announces Fall 2009 Premiere Dates Including ‘Dollhouse,’ ‘Fringe,’ ‘House’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 28, 2009 - 8:58amCHICAGO – FOX announced their fall premiere dates this morning and the network should start off with a skip in its step with “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Glee” kicking off the season on Wednesday, September 9th.
DVD Review: Complete Series of MTV’s ‘The State’ Worth the Wait
Submitted by BrianTT on July 27, 2009 - 1:16pmCHICAGO – It’s a vastly overused phrase in criticism, but MTV’s “The State” truly was ahead of its time. I remember seeing the show in its original broadcast on MTV and thinking it was like nothing else on television. Now it would easily fit in the comedy landscape. After years of begging, fans of “The State” are finally being given a complete series set and it was worth the wait.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Mad Men: Season Two’ Sets Standard For HD Television
Submitted by BrianTT on July 27, 2009 - 11:52amCHICAGO – Television doesn’t get much better than “Mad Men” and the Blu-Ray release that brings home the second season, recently nominated for several Emmy Awards, is quite simply one of the best HD TV home releases yet produced. With perfect video and audio and an unbelievable amount of special features, “Mad Men: Season Two” is a must-add for any collector of great television.
Slideshow: 30-Image Gallery For ‘Funny People’ With Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen
Submitted by BrianTT on July 27, 2009 - 10:31am
(L to R) Seth Rogen as Ira, writer/director/producer Judd Apatow and Adam Sandler as George.CHICAGO – This 30-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Funny People,” starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, RZA, Aubrey Plaza, and Aziz Ansari. It was written and directed by Judd Apatow. The film opens on July 31st, 2009.
DVD Round Up, July 27, 2009: ‘Bad Lieutenant,’ ‘Bart Got a Room’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 27, 2009 - 9:57amCHICAGO – The Round-Up is back with a quintet of standard DVDs that may have gone unnoticed in your latest Best Buy circular. There’s at least one very good movie in here and a few unique independent offerings that you might want to take a peek at. We wish we had time to cover these titles in more depth, but here are the details - synopsis, cast, features - that you really need to know.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Passes to ‘The Collector’ Screening in Chicago
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 26, 2009 - 12:40amCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-one passes up for grabs to the Chicago screening of “The Collector,” which stars Madeline Zima, Andrea Roth, Josh Stewart, Daniella Alonso, Robert Wisdom, Michael Reilly Burke, Juan Fernández and Gregory Alan Williams from the writers of “Saw IV,” “Saw V” and “Saw VI”.
Video Game Review: Head to the Majors With Fun ‘The Bigs 2’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 25, 2009 - 2:30pmCHICAGO – Would you rather watch the fine detail of a pitcher’s duel (or a gem-for-the-ages like Mark Buerhle’s recent perfect game for the Chicago White Sox) or the fireworks of an event like home run derby? “The Bigs 2” is far more akin to the latter - a display of the “fun” of baseball that plays much more like an arcade experience than a sports simulation and should appeal more to fans of the long ball than the slider.
Two New Pictures of Megan Fox in Diablo Cody’s ‘Jennifer’s Body’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 25, 2009 - 1:26pmCHICAGO – On September 18th, Megan Fox, the star of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” will star in a comedy/horror hybrid called “Jennifer’s Body” and we’ve got two new pics and the official poster for this Twentieth Century Fox film.
Slideshow: 27-Image Gallery For ‘Orphan’ With Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard
Submitted by BrianTT on July 23, 2009 - 1:17pm
(L-R) Peter Sarsgaard as John, Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther and Vera Farmiga as Kate.CHICAGO – This 27-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Orphan,” starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, CCH Pounder, and Jimmy Bennett. It was written by David Leslie Johnson and directed by Jaume Collett-Serra. The film opens on July 24th, 2009.
TV Review: BBC America’s ‘Being Human’ Highlights Truly Scary Roommates
Submitted by BrianTT on July 23, 2009 - 12:55pmCHICAGO – We are undeniably in the age of the vampire. “True Blood,” “Twilight,” “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” “The Vampire Diaries” - the national appetite for bloodsucking film, fiction, and television seems insatiable.
Slideshow: 29-Image Gallery For ‘The Ugly Truth’ With Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler
Submitted by BrianTT on July 22, 2009 - 1:22pmCHICAGO – This 29-image slideshow contains the official press images for “The Ugly Truth,” starring Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Eric Winter, John Michael Higgins, Nick Searcy, Kevin Connolly, and Cheryl Hines. It was written by Nicole Eastman and Karen McCullah Lutz & Kirsten Smith. The film opens on July 24th, 2009.
DVD Review: British Greats ‘Wire in the Blood,’ ‘Life on Mars’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 22, 2009 - 12:53pmCHICAGO – Any good reader of HollywoodChicago.com knows that we have a soft spot for modern British television. “Torchwood,” “Doctor Who,” “Primeval,” “Robin Hood,” “Ashes to Ashes,” and many more shows range from good to great. One of the best series of the ’00s is the excellent “Life on Mars,” soon-to-be available in a series 1 DVD box set and accompanied on store shelves this month by the sixth volume of the thrilling “Wire in the Blood”.
Video Game Review: ‘The Conduit’ Blasts Open Door For More Wii Shooters
Submitted by BrianTT on July 22, 2009 - 12:02pmCHICAGO – “The Conduit” is something old and something new. It is a very old-fashioned shooter that will remind an entire generation of college years spent wasted on titles like “Doom 2” and “Wolfenstein,” but it is a unique title for the typically family-driven Nintendo Wii.
Blu-Ray Round Up, July 22, 2009: ‘12 Monkeys,’ ‘The Unborn’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 22, 2009 - 8:54amCHICAGO – It has been a very busy July at HollywoodChicago.com and a few high profile titles have slipped through the cracks of our Blu-Ray coverage. We can’t leave any HD stone unturned, so we wanted to play catch-up and make sure you know about these releases via the legendary Blu-Ray Round-Up column.
