September 2010

Film Review: David Fincher’s ‘The Social Network’ is a Rare Masterpiece

CHICAGO – So many recent films have been called “masterpieces” by critics that the word doesn’t have the power that it once did. And yet there’s sometimes no better way to describe a film. David Fincher’s “The Social Network,” starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake is a masterpiece.

David Fincher’s ‘The Social Network’ is a Rare Masterpiece

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 5.0/5.0
Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – So many recent films have been called “masterpieces” by critics that the word doesn’t have the power that it once did. And yet there’s sometimes no better way to describe a film. David Fincher’s “The Social Network,” starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake is a masterpiece.

Blu-Ray Review: Guilty Pleasures of ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

CHICAGO – “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is a ridiculous program, a mix of pretentious dialogue that thinks its more important than it is, elaborate battle sequences shot in slo-mo to hide the show’s budget, and historical inaccuracies on an epic scale. And yet it’s also remarkably enjoyable. It’s a guilty pleasure program that has developed a rabid following on Starz and should put the network on the map when it comes to original series with the help of an excellent Blu-ray release for the first season.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Chicago Passes to ‘Life as We Know It’ With Katherine Heigl

Life as We Know It with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel

CHICAGO – In our latest romantic comedy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Life as We Know It” with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel!

DVD Review: NBC’s ‘30 Rock’ Still Hilarious In Fourth Season

30 Rock

CHICAGO – Time flies quickly in the world of television. Look no further than the fact that NBC’s “30 Rock” has become one of the elder statesmen of the sitcom. As new shows like “Glee” and “Modern Family” stole headlines, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin’s brilliant creation kept knocking them out of the park. It never set the ratings on fire, but there’s no denying that this is still one of the best comedies on television.

Blu-Ray Review: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn in Criterion Edition of ‘Charade’

Charade

CHICAGO – Stanley Donen’s 1963 caper “Charade” is one of the films I think of first when it comes to classic Hollywood. It features two of the most iconic stars of all time in Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn and perfectly captures what made them household names around the world. The movie has truly held up over the nearly five decades since its release and is now the latest inductee into the Blu-ray catalog of The Criterion Collection.

Interview: Director Davis Guggenheim on ‘Waiting For Superman’

Waiting For Superman

CHICAGO – Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) has returned with another film likely to play a major role at next year’s Academy Awards, the devastating “Waiting For Superman,” an indictment of the entire American education system that stands both as riveting documentary filmmaking and a call for change.

Tony Curtis, the American Prince of Hollywood, is Dead at 85

CHICAGO – Tony Curtis was the Prince of Hollywood, he was the original Fantastic Mr. Fox. He took his pretty boy good looks and carved a career that included the classic films “Some Like it Hot,” “Sweet Smell of Success” and “The Defiant Ones.” Tony Curtis died at his Las Vegas home yesterday at the age of 85.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Robin Hood’ Takes Serious Approach to the Legend

Robin Hood

CHICAGO – Erase from your mind every preconception you may have about a film entitled, “Robin Hood,” and you may find yourself enjoying, or at the very east admiring, Ridley Scott’s loose yet literalistic depiction of the legendary outlaw. No film will ever top Michael Curtiz and William Keighley’s 1938 classic starring Errol Flynn, which remains one of the all time great screen entertainments.

DVD Review: ‘Ondine’ Melds Gritty Drama With Muddled Enchantment

Ondine DVD

CHICAGO – One of the defining thematic elements in a Neil Jordan picture is a central relationships built upon a giant question mark, whether it be between a call girl and her chauffeur (“Mona Lisa”), an IRA volunteer and a seductive hairdresser (“The Crying Game”), or in this case, a fisherman and the woman he catches in his net.

Interviews: Directors Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman of ‘Howl’

CHICAGO – The seismic shift that took place with the publication of Allen Ginsberg’s epic poem, “Howl” – which is also the title of the new movie about the verse – reverberates and inspires to this very day. The brilliantly rendered film, starring James Franco as Ginsberg, is written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.

TV Review: ‘Law & Order: Los Angeles’ Has Good Cast, But Needs Better Scripts

CHICAGO – With memories of the stalwart “Law & Order” still resonant, NBC and Dick Wolf have packed up their bags and headed to the west coast for “Law & Order: Los Angeles.”

Blu-Ray Review: Vanessa Redgrave Shines in ‘Letters to Juliet’

Letters to Juliet

CHICAGO – Vanessa Redgrave’s role in “Letters to Juliet” could not have come at a more poignant time in her life. She plays a starry-eyed woman in her twilight years, desperate to reconnect with her childhood sweetheart. He’s played by Franco Nero, the man Redgrave fell for on the set of 1969’s “Camelot.” She was Guinevere and Nero was Lancelot. Yet they didn’t marry until 2006.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 3 Pairs of Big Head Todd and the Monsters Tickets

CHICAGO – In this edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Music, we have three pairs of tickets up for grabs to see Colorado-formed rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters perform live at Chicago’s Park West!

Blu-Ray Review: Very Funny ‘Get Him to the Greek’ With Jonah Hill

Get Him to the Greek

CHICAGO – Like a lot of comedies, “Get Him to the Greek,” now available on Blu-ray and DVD, actually plays better at home than it did in theaters. It doesn’t hurt that the Universal Blu-ray is a beauty, a package with excellent, hilarious special features that enhance the film instead of serving as mere filler. It’s one of the best comedy BD releases of the season.

Blu-Ray Review: Adam Green’s ‘Frozen’ Might Leave You Cold

Frozen

Adam Green is arguably the biggest name in horror right now with “Hatchet II” opening in theaters this month and both “Hatchet” and “Frozen” released on Blu-ray in the last few weeks. Horror fans love filmmakers with unique personality and Green definitely has that to spare but he has yet to make the film that truly breaks him in this genre junkie’s mind. It certainly isn’t the deeply-flawed “Frozen.”

Blu-Ray Review: Brilliant ‘Modern Family’ Stands Out in HD

Modern Family BD

CHICAGO – “Modern Family” is the funniest comedy on television. The winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series (over highly-acclaimed programs including “Glee,” “30 Rock,” “The Office,” and more) and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Eric Stonestreet) is now available on Blu-ray and DVD and not only is it a program that everyone should see at least once but, like the greatest sitcoms, it holds up remarkably well to repeat viewing.

Blu-Ray Review: BBC’s ‘Being Human’ Deserves Your Attention

Being Human S2 BD

CHICAGO – The drawback of the amazing onslaught of quality television outside of the broadcast networks and the pay channels has been that some great programs have gone relatively unnoticed. Every single one of you that fell in love with “Lost,” quoted “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” or obsessively watched “True Blood” owes it to yourself to check out the second season Blu-ray release of one of the best genre programs on television, BBC America’s ridiculously enjoyable “Being Human,” now available.

TV Review: Promising ‘No Ordinary Family’ With Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz

CHICAGOABC’s “No Ordinary Family” features two of the better TV actors of the last decade in the great Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”) and Julie Benz (“Angel,” “Dexter”) and their remarkable charm carries a show that could be must-see viewing if it doesn’t fall into the same traps as similar high-concept shows like “Heroes” and “FlashForward.”

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time’ Bores to Tears

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Blu-Ray

CHICAGO – Jerry Bruckheimer has reached a point in his career where he feels capable of making a film out of anything. And not just a film, but a multimillion dollar franchise offering the mega-producer’s typically uninspired blend of sound and fury. He’s already worked wonders with an old theme park ride and an outdated action figure, so why not base his next popcorn epic on a forgotten video game from 1989?

Video Game Review: Shockingly Enjoyable ‘Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions’

CHICAGO – There have been so many bad superhero games that, despite my adoration for last year’s amazing “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” I still approach them with serious trepidation. And 2008’s Peter Parker Activision title – “Spider-Man: Web of Shadows” – was just not good.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 3 VIP Prize Packs For ‘Alpha and Omega’ With Hayden Panettiere

Alpha and Omega poster with Hayden Panettiere

CHICAGO – In this edition of the HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 3 VIP prize packs up for grabs to the new animated film “Alpha and Omega” with the voices of Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper, Danny Glover, Justin Long and Christina Ricci!

Blu-Ray Review: Amazing HD Release For First Season of ‘Glee’

Glee BD

CHICAGO – We at HollywoodChicago.com have reviewed dozens of HD season TV sets and the one for the first season of FOX’s beloved “Glee” is easily one of the best yet released. It plays perfectly to both fans of the show and those who have never seen it before, making it the collector’s item that it should be along with expanding the audience of its program. Other studios should take notes (no pun intended).

Blu-Ray Review: Queen Latifah, Common Charm in Romantic ‘Just Wright’

Just Wright

CHICAGO – Romantic movies thrive on cliches in the same way that slasher movies need a body count and musicals need a bit of song and dance. Success or failure is all in the execution of the known commodity of cliche. With actors as charismatic as Queen Latifah and Common in the lead roles, it’s easy to overlook said commodity in the relatively-charming “Just Wright,” now on Blu-ray and DVD.

DVD Review: Second Season of ABC Hit ‘Castle’ With Nathan Fillion

Castle Season Two

CHICAGOABC’s “Castle” has become one of the more reliable mystery shows on television; a wonderful piece of comfort food after a hard Monday at the office. With the amazing chemistry and perfect timing of stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic to drive it, the show went from barely-renewed to a program that feels like it will be on for years to come. Check out the second season, now on DVD, to see how a mystery series becomes a hit.

TV Review: HBO’s Daring ‘Eastbound & Down’ Returns For Second Season

CHICAGO – There’s no more daring performance on television right now than what Danny McBride does on HBO’s hilarious “Eastbound & Down.”

TV Review: Gut-Wrenching Start to Fifth Season of Showtime’s ‘Dexter’

CHICAGO – “Dexter” returns tonight, September 26th, 2010, for what promises to be a turning point for the series after the breathtaking season four finale. In the final moments of the show’s best season, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) came home to find his wife Rita (Julie Benz) murdered by The Trinity Killer.

TV Review: ‘Bored to Death’ is Consistently Quirky, Funny

Bored to Death, Jason Schwartzman

CHICAGO – The ability of HBO to launch a series and let it develop is one of the true advantages of their subscription system. Of course that and no censorship issues. The series “Bored to Death” begins its second season on September 26th at 9pm CST, featuring Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis.

TV Review: New Season of ‘The Amazing Race’ Hardly a Game-Changer

CHICAGO – There is absolutely nothing amazing about “The Amazing Race.” There’s also nothing that’s exciting, innovative, insightful or original about this long-running reality contest, despite the fact that it’s garnered twelve Primetime Emmys.

Theater Review: ‘Rock of Ages’ Ain’t Nothin’ But a Good Time

The cast of 'Rock of Ages'

CHICAGO – “I wanted to explore deep, thoughtful theatre,” deadpans a giddily vitriolic narrator, played here in a last minute swap-out by Mitchell Jarvis, during the eleventh hour of “Rock of Ages”. Although referring to any aspect of this rollicking, trenchantly self-aware jukebox ride in classical terms may either be mawkishly generous or downright offensive to its recalcitrant intent.

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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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