February 2010

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.

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.

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.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

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.”

CHICAGO – One of the byproducts of expanding the Best Picture nominees has been that half of the most notable films of the year in the eyes of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are now available on Blu-ray and DVD including “District 9,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Up,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and now “A Serious Man”.

CHICAGO – The critical phrase that kept surfacing during my playing time of the mini-RPG “Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment” was “good for a downloadable game”. The game is flawed but its low purchase price might make it worth a look for fans of old-fashioned role-playing games but most modern gamers will be disappointed.

CHICAGO – Bringing a popular book series to screen is successfully achieved primarily through casting, and the adaptation of “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” is no exception. The young cast brims with enthusiasm for the new movie.

CHICAGO – “The Music Man” is alive in a way few Hollywood musicals ever are. Its big numbers often grow organically, allowing melodies to emerge from the rhythm of speech, overlapping action or the seemingly mundane movement of characters across the frame. In the exuberant world of this ageless classic, music is less of a self-conscious construct than an irresistible life force infiltrating the cadence of everyday life.

CHICAGO – In our latest fantasy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicagoland screening of “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”!

CHICAGO – I know what you’re thinking: What do “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Mystic River” have in common? Nothing at all other than a Blu-ray release date of February 2nd, 2010. Oh, and they’re two films you should probably own if you have a Blu-ray player.

CHICAGO – The Universal release of “The Bourne Trilogy” was not only one of the best Blu-ray titles of 2009 but it’s still one of the best box sets on the HD market twelve months later. The question is how does Universal continue to make a dime on the Matt Damon juggernaut of a franchise while we wait for the latest drama regarding the potential fourth film. Welcome to the Bourne flipper discs.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Love stories are as common at the movies as popcorn and sticky floors. Despite this, rising stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried add their own spin to the timeworn plot theme in “Dear John.”

CHICAGO – In the realm of lazy date movies, “Love Happens” achieves a sort of morbid grandeur. There isn’t a single original or authentic moment in all 109 minutes of the picture, which is so devoted to its formulaic structure that it often doesn’t make a lick of sense. People say and do things for no conceivable reason other than to create “crises” leading to “resolutions” leading to audience exasperation.

CHICAGO – Demetri Martin and Sarah Silverman are now back-to-back on Thursday nights on Comedy Central with “Important Things With Demetri Martin” and “The Sarah Silverman Program” and the two incredibly talented comedians make for a perfect fit as both shows have similar strengths and weaknesses.