March 2011

Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Duncan Jones announced his arrival on the sci-fi scene with such authority with the excellent “Moon” that genre fans were naturally concerned about a sophomore slump. Worry no more. “Source Code” may first feel like a more traditional thriller but it’s clearly cut from the same cloth as “Moon” in that it takes the impossible and makes it human, even spiritual. Like the best sci-fi, “Source Code” is both entertaining and thought-provoking. It’s a great slice of entertainment that you’ll want to relive as soon as it’s done playing.

CHICAGO – In our latest true-story edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 35 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Soul Surfer” with AnnaSophia Robb, Carrie Underwood, Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt!

CHICAGO – When one hears the phrase “epic” in terms of classic movies, one of the first that should come to mind is the crowning achievement of Cecil B. DeMille’s obsession with storytelling with a massive scope, “The Ten Commandments,” now available on Blu-ray for the first time to coincide with the upcoming Easter holiday, when it usually plays on television to big Nielsen numbers. Put it in your best friend’s Easter basket.

CHICAGO – Turner Classic Movies, the film buff’s 24-hour movie channel, was in Chicago on March 24th to promote the TCM Classic Film Festival, in Hollywood from April 28th to May 1st. As part of that promotion, Jane Powell of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (1954), introduced that film at the Music Box Theater here.

CHICAGO – Any film that adds to the climate debate by bringing in a fresh and intelligent voice is certainly worth one’s time. From that perspective, “Cool It” is a documentary of considerable value, though it’s less rewarding than one might hope. Though it aims to be the cinematic rebuttal to “An Inconvenient Truth,” it falls far short, in part because the film simply isn’t as well-crafted or effective as Davis Guggenheim’s 2006 Oscar-winner.

CHICAGO – In our latest horror/thriller edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 35 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Insidious” with Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne from the “Paranormal Activity” and “Saw” makers!

CHICAGO – Wes Craven’s “Scream” is one of the most influential horror films of all time. And it’s one of the best of its era. The film has held up remarkably well in the fifteen years since it was released and is a must-own for fans of the genre, especially with an extras-laden Blu-ray release timed to coincide with the upcoming April 15th release of “Scream 4.” The sequels are inferior but more worthwhile than average horror sequels. Why not own ‘em all?

CHICAGO – When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their 2011 nominees, one of the more surprising choices was the Greek entry for Best Foreign Language Film, the subversive black comedy “Dogtooth.” It’s not the choice was undeserving, but it’s certainly one of the weirdest, darkest, and most disturbing films ever nominated by a group that usually goes heartwarming in this category. There’s nothing heartwarming about “Dogtooth” outside of those who take comfort in hearing from a fascinating new international voice in cinema.

CHICAGO – Is there any sport less attuned to a video game simulation than tennis? I don’t think so. The actual sport involves so much physical coordination and timing that it’s just impossible to fully recreate with a controller in your hands. Having a motion controller helps (and the PS3 copy of “Top Spin 4” is Move-enabled), but there’s still something about tennis that seems to fight the world of gaming even when it’s as remarkably well-done as “Top Spin 4.”

CHICAGO – Stalled cars, prophetic visions, fresh meat in need of tenderizing, and off-handed expulsions of the dreaded line, “I’ll be right back.” These are merely a handful of the timeworn elements utilized by two new direct-to-video releases from After Dark Films. Both pictures are competently made and well acted, which makes their lack of originality all the more depressing.

CHICAGO – Showtime has a patented formula of hiring great stars (William H. Macy, Michael C. Hall, Toni Collette, Mary-Louise Parker) and building series around them. It has worked well enough that the last two Emmy winners for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series have been won by the network — Collette for the first season of “United States of Tara” and Edie Falco for the second season of “Nurse Jackie,” both of which return tonight, March 28th, 2011.

CHICAGO – It’s Hollywood Celebrities & Memorabilia Show Weekend, and the stars of TV and movies will be available to meet all their fans at the Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare Airport Hotel (click the link at the end of the article). Also available, lots of vendors with TV and movie items for any collection.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Writer/Director Thomas McCarthy makes films with that very unique attribute in which the characters completely feel like they exist before the opening scene and after the credits roll. As he did in “The Station Agent” and “The Visitor,” he has told another unique story that is both moving and also believable at the same time, an increasingly-rare combination. “Win Win” is the first great film of 2011.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Rachid Bouchareb’s “Outside the Law” paints a vivid family portrait of a trio of brothers at the forefront of a violent, impassioned time in France as the country was trying to stop a revolution in Algeria and dealing with the violence that brought to their home country. With a story that spans decades, “Outside the Law” is sometimes a bit too episodic and stuffed with history to register emotionally but the three central performances carry the piece overall.