January 2011

Blu-Ray Review: Riveting ‘Lebanon’ Offers Claustrophobic View of War

Lebanon

CHICAGO – It’s not hard to imagine viewers of “Lebanon” starting to sweat. It is a claustrophobic tale of war that has drawn deserved comparisons to Wolfgang Peterson’s brilliant “Das Boot” and it is nearly as good a film. This surreal nightmare stands as one of the better war films of the last several years and deserves a much broader international audience than it has yet achieved.

Blu-Ray Review: Spectacular ‘The Tillman Story’ Demands Your Attention

The Tillman Story

CHICAGO – When the Oscar nominations were announced last week, one of the most egregious snubs took place in the category of Best Documentary, where Amir Bar-Lev’s spectacular “The Tillman Story” missed out on not just the award it should have WON but even a nomination. This is not just a snub, it’s shameful, although this has long been a category in need of a massive overhaul. See for yourself when “The Tillman Story” hits DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow, Feb. 1, 2011.

Blu-Ray Review: Disney Releases Another Timeless Classic in Beautiful ‘Alice in Wonderland’

CHICAGO – Last week, Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” notched a couple of Academy Award nominations. Do me a favor. Don’t allow your children to only know Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Mad Hatter when it comes to Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Saw: The Final Chapter’ Hopefully Ends Lackluster Series

Saw: The Final Chapter

CHICAGO – I’m old enough to remember how the “Friday the 13th” series made a promise of “The Final Chapter” after the fourth film only to return with “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.” Let’s hope that “Saw: The Final Chapter” (also known as “Saw 7” and “Saw 3D”) does not follow the same pattern because this lackluster series truly needs to end now. At least give it a few years for some filmmaker to find what worked about it in the first place (for the record, I think the original “Saw” is a near-great horror flick…but the franchise went 1-for-7 overall) because this final film does not demand a follow-up. Please.

‘The Fighter,’ ‘The King’s Speech’ Win Screen Actors Guild Awards

CHICAGO – “The King’s Speech,” “The Fighter,” and “Black Swan” were the big film winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, while “Boardwalk Empire,” “Modern Family,” “30 Rock,” “The Good Wife,” and “Hot in Cleveland” won awards on the TV side of the presentation. Ernest Borgnine won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Theater Review: Magnificent ‘Macbeth’ at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Macbeth, Chicago Shakespeare Theater

CHICAGO – One of the jewels of Chicago is right on Lake Michigan. The Chicago Shakepeare Theater within Navy Pier continues to illuminate the immortal Bard resplendently for contemporary audiences. “Macbeth,” playing through March 5th, is part of their ‘Short Shakespeare!’ series.

Slideshow: 11-Image Gallery From ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops – First Strike’

| Image 1 of 11 |
Ascension

CHICAGO – This 11-image slideshow contains the official press images of the new maps soon-to-be available for “Call of Duty: Black Ops” in the DLC entitled “First Strike.” The add-on will be available on the XBLA on February 1st, 2011.

Film Review: Jason Statham in ‘The Mechanic’ is a Mindless Repeat of All Prior Gun-Toting Slayers

CHICAGO – It wouldn’t be a Jason Statham film if in it he was just fixing cars. In “The Mechanic,” his profession is fixing people. And by fixing, like “The Transporter” he’s again cracking skulls.

Jason Statham in ‘The Mechanic’ is a Mindless Repeat of All Prior Gun-Toting Slayers

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – It wouldn’t be a Jason Statham film if in it he was just fixing cars. In “The Mechanic,” his profession is fixing people. And by fixing, like “The Transporter” he’s again cracking skulls.

Film Review: Javier Bardem Takes a Journey to an End in ‘Biutiful’

CHICAGO – In the midst of life’s journey, what may seem like a long time suddenly can become short, what seems like the routine suddenly becomes desperate. The theme of these changes and the effect on a dying soul is explored in “Biutiful.”

Javier Bardem Takes a Journey to an End in ‘Biutiful’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – In the midst of life’s journey, what may seem like a long time suddenly can become short, what seems like the routine suddenly becomes desperate. The theme of these changes and the effect on a dying soul is explored in “Biutiful.”

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 20 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Sanctum’ From ‘Avatar’ Creator James Cameron

Sanctum from Avatar, Titanic creator James Cameron

CHICAGO – In our latest 3-D action/thriller edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Sanctum” from executive producer James Cameron (creator of “Avatar” and “Titanic”)!

Film Feature: Our 10 Favorite 2011 Oscar Nominations

CHICAGO – Tuesday morning brought a great sigh of relief to movie lovers jaded by last year’s problematic Oscar nominees, which unforgivably included two major nods for the dreadful “The Blind Side.”

Blu-Ray Review: Fantastic First Season of ‘Justified’ Gets HD Treatment

Justified

CHICAGO – The first season of “Justified” was one of my favorites of 2010, but quality TV seasons don’t always translate to quality home releases. It seems as though studios are still unclear as to which shows to release standard-only and even when they do make the upgrade decision to HD it doesn’t always come with interesting special features.

TV Review: Hysterical ‘Archer’ Returns For Stellar Second Season

CHICAGO – The second season premiere of “Archer” opens with a hysterical scene that ends with a suave super-spy saying “Look at me, I am the perfect gentleman.

Film Feature: 2011 Oscar Favorites Respond to Nominations

127 Hours star James Franco

CHICAGO – Wondering what the 2011 Oscar nominees thought yesterday when they got the big news? Wonder no more with this compilation of official responses to the one of the biggest days of their lives. Respondees include James Franco, Annette Bening, Javier Bardem, Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Film Feature: Top 5 Oscar Nominations We’re Glad Didn’t Happen

CHICAGO – Oscar. The holy day of the film industry. While other film pundits are scrambling for perspective – who made it and who didn’t – we’re giving thanks for the five 2010 films and personalities that didn’t get a nomination for Oscar night.

DVD Review: Excellent ‘Animal Kingdom’ Features Oscar-Nominated Performance

Animal Kingdom

CHICAGO – One of the most wonderful nominations on Oscar morning this year was that of the great Jacki Weaver for the movie that most “E!”-watchers probably had never even heard of — “Animal Kingdom.” This searing crime thriller barely found an audience when it was released in art houses but should get a nice boost from the Academy and was just released on DVD last week, Jan. 18, 2011.

Film News: Brand New Photo From ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn’

The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn

CHICAGO – Summit just released a new production still from “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1” and we just had to share. The highly anticipated sequel, which opens on Nov. 18, 2011, stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Michael Sheen, Ashley Greene, Anna Kendrick, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed and Kellan Lutz. The film is directed by Bill Condon from a script by Melissa Rosenberg.

Film Feature: The 10 Biggest Oscar Snubs of 2011

CHICAGO – There just wasn’t enough room at this year’s Oscar party for several of the most-deserving candidates. There never is. Like every year, most of the key categories had at least one (and often more) deserving nominee not getting the happy call on Tuesday morning. Who should have? Who should have been left out instead? Here are the big ten.

Film Review: Muddled ‘Kalamity’ Plays One-Night Only Chicago Engagement

Kalamity
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.0/5.0
Rating: 1.0/5.0

CHICAGO – There was a day not that long ago when it felt like Nick Stahl was the next rising star. He delivered nuanced performances in films and on HBO’s “Carnivale” that led one to believe there was potential for stardom. “The Thin Red Line,” “In the Bedroom,” “Bully” — he was going somewhere in the early ’00s, but he was derailed into basically nothing but straight-to-video junk like “Mirrors 2” since 2005’s “Sin City.”

Muddled ‘Kalamity’ Plays One-Night Only Chicago Engagement

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.0/5.0
Rating: 1.0/5.0

CHICAGO – There was a day not that long ago when it felt like Nick Stahl was the next rising star. He delivered nuanced performances in films and on HBO’s “Carnivale” that led one to believe there was potential for stardom. “The Thin Red Line,” “In the Bedroom,” “Bully” — he was going somewhere in the early ’00s, but he was derailed into basically nothing but straight-to-video junk like “Mirrors 2” since 2005’s “Sin City.”

Film News: ‘The King’s Speech’ Leads 2011 Oscar Nominations

CHICAGO – The nominees for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning, Jan. 25, 2011 and “Inception,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Social Network,” “True Grit,” “The Fighter,” and “Black Swan” led the way with a majority of the nominations.

Video: Watch Jan. 25, 2011 Oscar Nominations Streaming Live on HollywoodChicago.com

The Social Network

CHICAGO – Want to know the best place to watch the Oscar nominations on Tuesday morning, Jan. 25, 2011? How about right here at HollywoodChicago.com? Check out the streaming video below at 7:30 a.m. CST and come back for commentary and news all day.

Interview: ‘The King’s Speech’ Director Tom Hooper on Colin Firth’s Masterful Stutter

CHICAGO – As “The King’s Speech” will almost certainly earn multiple Oscar nominations in tomorrow’s announcement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, we bring you this behind-the-scenes glimpse inside the mind of the masterful production.

Blu-Ray Review: Great Cast Cannot Save Deeply Flawed ‘Stone’

Stone

CHICAGO – There was a time when the union of two actors as accomplished as Robert De Niro and Edward Norton would make movie news headlines. And, to be fair, John Curran’s “Stone” was chosen to open the Chicago Internation Film Festival in large part due to the pedigree of its stars. But viewers are smarter than they used to be. They know now that a movie’s success is not solely dependent on the talent of its leads. And while De Niro and Norton are two of our best actors (and they are amply supported by two great female turns as well), “Stone” just doesn’t work.

Feature: ‘Inception,’ ‘The King’s Speech’ Lead Final 2011 Oscar Nominee Predictions

CHICAGO – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will finally announce their nominations for the Oscars tomorrow morning, January 25th, 2011. But why wait? Want to know the nominees now?

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Dances With Wolves: 20th Anniversary Edition’

Dances With Wolves

CHICAGO – Can anyone else believe that it’s been 20 years since “Dances With Wolves”? In a lot of movie snob circles, the Kevin Costner epic has been relegated to a tragic tale as the thing most remembered about it is that it stole several Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, from a movie that even Costner himself would probably now admit deserved them more — “GoodFellas.” Watching it again after so long, it’s easy to see what people liked about the film. It may not have deserved Best Picture but it’s still a worthy addition to many a movie lover’s collection.

Film News: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Joins Christy Lemire on ‘Roger Ebert Presents At the Movies’

At the Movies with Ignatiy

CHICAGO – The balcony is officially open and back in business at WTTW Chicago, the same network where Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel hosted “Sneak Previews” roughly 35 years ago.

Film Review: Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman With ‘No Strings Attached’

CHICAGO – When a handsome studmuffin meets a fetching, fabulously hot doctor, what’s the outcome? That’s right, sex without a relationship, AKA Friends with Benefits. And a movie featuring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman called “No Strings Attached.”

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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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