May 2011

CHICAGO – TV By the Numbers is reporting that the rumor that NBC had renewed “Chuck” is definitely true and they have ordered a 13-episode new season while showing low-rated “The Event” the door.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Early in “The Double Hour,” our heroine (a very effective and nearly movie-saving Ksenia Rappoport) goes to a speed dating session. The movie that follows is not unlike a cinematic version of that modern way of meeting people in that it jumps genre to genre like a suitor jumping tables. The result is a film that has marveled people with its labyrinthine plotting but that ultimately feels about as deep as a speed date. You never really get to know it.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – With an incredibly talented ensemble, heartfelt script, and honest characterizations, “Bridesmaids” has been touted as a revolutionary re-examination of what one should expect from the phrase “chick flick.” Having never been much of a fan of genre labels, the idea that this film should be judged differently because it has female stars irks me a bit, but if that gets more people into theatre seats and away from the junk that typically qualifies as “entertainment for women,” I’ll happily embrace it. For whatever reason you see it, the most important thing to know is this simple – “Bridesmaids” is funny. Damn funny.

CHICAGO – One of the weirdest pre-upfronts weeks in a long time continues as sources are reporting that NBC will renew “Parenthood,” as HollywoodChicago.com predicted, but will not include the already-buzzed “Wonder Woman” when their schedule is announced on Monday.

CHICAGO – While Christopher Nolan is busy preparing for the imminent “The Dark Knight Rises” shoot at St. John Street in London following filming in India, the suits back in the U.S. are butting heads over the business of the expected cash cow and who’s going to get fat from it.

CHICAGO – It’s not often that a program in the U.K. is being produced and airing on BBC America at the same time as an American remake version of the same concept. But it’s not often that you have a hook as strong as the one on “Being Human” — the remake airs on SyFy and the third season of the original was recently released on Blu-ray and DVD by BBC America and Warner Bros.

Latest update: Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 3:05 p.m.
CHICAGO (Exclusive) – Batman filming fever is back in full swing. Now that director Christopher Nolan has wrapped his first filming location for “The Dark Knight Rises” in Jodhpur, India, the master of mystery is busy preparing for his shoot next week at St. John Street in London.

CHICAGO – What if you had a deep desire and passion to make a movie? Would you know what to do, how to go about it? Carmen Marron was in that spot seven years ago, with no connections, no clue on how to do it, only that necessary passion and desire. This Friday, her hip-hop dance film, “Go for It!” opens in 250 theaters nationwide.

CHICAGO – For weeks now, we’ve been trying to predict what the networks would do with their bubble shows when they announced their fall schedules next week. Well, Kevin Reilly of FOX decided to burst all of the bubbles at his network under cover of night, as news broke very late last night that “The Chicago Code,” “Human Target,” “Lie To Me,” “Traffic Light,” and “Breaking In” will be absent from the upcoming 2011-12 schedule.

CHICAGO – The video game world of “Mortal Kombat” has been reinvigorated for a new generation through Warner’s excellent new release and the company wisely saw the opportunity to provide something for fans who need to put the controller down every once in a while but don’t want to leave the universe with Blu-ray releases for Paul Anderson’s “Mortal Kombat” and John R. Leonetti’s “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.”

CHICAGO – So many films come and go without leaving a permanent imprint on one’s cinematic memory. Catherine Breillat’s galvanizing 2001 drama, “Fat Girl,” is most certainly not among them. I’ll never forget the profound level of shock and unease I felt during my initial viewing of the picture, which was eventually followed by a deep admiration of Breillat’s uncompromising bravery in tackling such disquieting material.

CHICAGO – Traveller’s Tales clearly seems 100% unconcerned about exhausting their “LEGO” brand as they have released “LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4,” “LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars,” and, now, “LEGO: Pirates of the Caribbean” in less than a year.

CHICAGO – I love Jonathan Demme’s “Something Wild” with such passion that I can recommend the new Criterion Collection edition of the underrated ’80s classic and yet still realize that it’s something of a disappointment. Criterion leads the way in Blu-ray and DVD in every way, but even they can release editions that seem a bit lackluster, and such is the case with “Something Wild.” Pick it up because the movie rules, but don’t get your hopes too high.

CHICAGO – Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, announced this morning in advance of next week’s unveiling of the FOX fall schedule that “House” will return for an eighth season despite rumors of a potential network switch to NBC.