CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.!—break—>
June 2011
Film Review: Obsessive, Intriguing ‘Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2011 - 7:58amCHICAGO – It’s the movie poster that says it all. The familiar red-headed talk show host, now bearded, resting his head against an ever-present microphone. The show must go on for “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop.”
Obsessive, Intriguing ‘Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2011 - 7:54am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s the movie poster that says it all. The familiar red-headed talk show host, now bearded, resting his head against an ever-present microphone. The show must go on for “Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop.”
Film Review: Cindy Meehl’s ‘Buck’ Celebrates a Well-Lived Life
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 24, 2011 - 6:55amCHICAGO – Every once in a while, a life is profoundly enriched by the example set by another. For several animal lovers throughout the country, Buck Brannaman has served as an inspiration. His philosophical approach toward working with horses holds countless truths that can be applied to all aspects of life, and they are woven into the very fabric of Cindy Meehl’s wonderful documentary, “Buck.”
Cindy Meehl’s ‘Buck’ Celebrates a Well-Lived Life
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 24, 2011 - 6:44am![]() Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Every once in a while, a life is profoundly enriched by the example set by another. For several animal lovers throughout the country, Buck Brannaman has served as an inspiration. His philosophical approach toward working with horses holds countless truths that can be applied to all aspects of life, and they are woven into the very fabric of Cindy Meehl’s wonderful documentary, “Buck.”
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Harry Potter’ Ultimate Editions For Fifth, Sixth Years
Submitted by BrianTT on June 23, 2011 - 2:10pmCHICAGO – The J.K. Rowling series may be over but Harry Potter mania continues unabated. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The legend of ‘The Boy Who Lived’ seems to be growing as fans stream through the amusement park, await every bit of news from Rowling herself about what she’ll do next, and, most of all, count the days until “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2.” Until then, catch up with the fifth and sixth films in the their cash cow, complete with collectibles and new special features. Clear some shelf space.
TV Review: ABC’s ‘Expedition Impossible’ Offers Boring Journey
Submitted by BrianTT on June 23, 2011 - 11:50amCHICAGO – Have all reality shows merely become hybrids of programs that came before? Doesn’t it feel like it? Put two to three former hits in a blender and try and create a new hit. This week’s latest mash-up (and we’ll have another much-more-obnoxious one in a few days) combines elements of “The Amazing Race” and “Survivor” into ABC’s “Expedition Impossible,” another mediocre summer offering.
TV Review: FX Comedies ‘Wilfred,’ ‘Louie’ Start New Seasons
Submitted by BrianTT on June 23, 2011 - 11:10amCHICAGO – FX has developed a nice comedy niche, taking greater risks than most other networks and seeing them pay off with hits like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “The League,” and “Archer.”
DVD Review: Oscilloscope’s ‘Monogamy’ Marred By Unlikable Lead
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 23, 2011 - 9:57amCHICAGO – With so many unfaithful weiners crowding the daily news cycle, I suppose it’s as appropriate a time as any for a film like Dana Adam Shapiro’s “Monogamy.” As in the over-publicized Anthony Weiner case, the infidelity in Shapiro’s film never actually takes place. Instead of physical contact, the affair takes place entirely within the obsessive mind of a sexually frustrated voyeur.
Interview: Buck Brannaman Shares His Life Philosophy in ‘Buck’
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 22, 2011 - 9:51amCHICAGO – When Robert Redford was on the lookout for equine consultants to assist him with his 1998 drama, “The Horse Whisperer,” he got a lot more than he bargained for when he hired Buck Brannaman. The real-life “whisperer” was one of the chief inspirations for the character of Tom Booker in the Nicholas Evans novel that provided the source material for Redford’s picture. Yet Brannaman’s inspiring work doesn’t merely apply to horses.
TV Review: USA Launches ‘Suits,’ Reignites ‘Burn Notice’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 22, 2011 - 9:33amCHICAGO – While AMC, FX, and even TNT have been pushing forward in the world of basic cable programming, the very-successful USA network feels like it has been treading water.
Video Game Review: ‘Duke Nukem Forever’ Misses Target Audience
Submitted by BrianTT on June 21, 2011 - 5:12pmCHICAGO – By now you’ve probably read that the long-anticipated “Duke Nukem Forever” is a total disaster, a glitch-heavy, poorly-written exercise that would have been disappointing as DLC but is downright insulting as a standard release. I really wanted to be able to give the game a pass, to report that critics have been too hard on it.
Blu-Ray Review: Beloved ‘True Grit’ Remake in Bonus-Packed Edition
Submitted by BrianTT on June 21, 2011 - 3:48pmCHICAGO – With the highest domestic gross of the entire career of the beloved Coen brothers (over $170 million domestically, ranking #13 for 2010 releases) and an amazing ten Oscar nominations, “True Grit” was easily one of the most popular films of the last year. I had some issues with the piece overall but I’m ecstatic that a piece like this one outgrossed so many of the more obviously commercial entries from the holiday season. It serves as proof that quality can still be profitable and the excellent Blu-ray release from Paramount treats the film’s many fans with appropriate respect.
TV Review: ‘Combat Hospital’ Fails to Get the Pulse Pounding
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 21, 2011 - 7:33amCHICAGO – Is there a script doctor in the house? ABC is in dire need of one. How could the network possibly greenlight “Combat Hospital” in light of its recently botched, strikingly similar effort, “Off the Map”?
If We Had an Emmy Ballot: The Best TV of 2010 to 2011
Submitted by BrianTT on June 20, 2011 - 4:19pmCHICAGO – It’s that time of year again – the time when the TV industry‘s chosen few try to determine which of their peers delivered the best performances of the past twelve months before handing in their Emmy ballots this Friday, June 24th, 2011.
Blu-Ray Review: Ben Affleck Stars in Timely ‘The Company Men’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 20, 2011 - 1:02pmCHICAGO – John Wells has been one of the most important voices in television for the last two decades, shepherding “Third Watch,” “The West Wing,” “ER,” “Southland,” “Shameless,” and many more. It’s always hit-and-miss when a talent from one medium jumps to another and such is the case with “The Company Men,” starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Maria Bello, and Kevin Costner. The great cast keeps it together and Wells has a keen ear for dialogue but the film never develops beyond a timely character study.
Blu-Ray Review: Ridiculous, Riveting ‘Rubber’ Rolls Right
Submitted by BrianTT on June 20, 2011 - 12:13pmCHICAGO – I know that headline is silly and annoying. But it seems to me that the only way to approach a movie as original as “Rubber” is with a critical tongue in cheek. This is a cult hit in the making, a movie with enough going for it to overlook some pretty big flaws and a unique sensibility that separates it from the horror movie horde. I’m not sure one should even call “Rubber” a horror movie. I’m not sure what “Rubber” is. Can we invent a new genre?
On WGN Radio: HollywoodChicago.com’s Brian Tallerico on ‘Falling Skies,’ ‘Combat Hospital,’ ‘Suits,’ ‘Wilfred,’ More
Submitted by BrianTT on June 20, 2011 - 11:30amCHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Bill Moller’s show on WGN-Radio in Chicago on June 18th, 2011 to discuss upcoming premieres, including “Fallking Skies,” “Combat Hospital,” “Suits,” “Wilfred,” “Louie,” “Burn Notice,” “Expedition Impossible,” and more.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3-D Experience’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 20, 2011 - 11:11amCHICAGO – Did you get what you wanted for Father’s Day? Probably not, right? While you probably had a lovely brunch and your kid gave you a cute homemade card, I bet there’s a few of you out there who got a tie and really wanted “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3-D Experience.” Nobody blames you.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 60 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 20, 2011 - 10:47amUpdate: 11:17 a.m. on June 24, 2011 (added an additional 30 admit-two passes!)
CHICAGO – In our latest blockbuster edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 60 admit-two movie passes (increased from 30 admit-twos due to high demand!) plus three prize packs up for grabs to the highly anticipated new film “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”!
Exclusive Portrait: Whitney Cummings at ‘Just for Laughs Chicago’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 19, 2011 - 5:05pmCHICAGO – The unique comic stylings of Whitney Cummings took centerstage June 16th at the Vic Theatre here, as part of the TBS “Just for Laughs Chicago.” Cummings wowed the audience with her hilarious set, and took down the house with her demonstration of the “money shot.”
Film Review: ‘The Art of Getting By’ Explores a Teenage Wasteland
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 19, 2011 - 11:55amCHICAGO – The angst ridden, doom-and-gloom adolescent has been fodder for the movies ever since teenagers were invented. From James Dean to “Heathers,” the juvenile anti-hero trying to figure out life has lit up the screen. Freddie Highmore takes his turn in “The Art of Getting By.”
‘The Art of Getting By’ Explores a Teenage Wasteland
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 19, 2011 - 11:50am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The angst ridden, doom-and-gloom adolescent has been fodder for the movies ever since teenagers were invented. From James Dean to “Heathers,” the juvenile anti-hero trying to figure out life has lit up the screen. Freddie Highmore takes his turn in “The Art of Getting By.”
TV Review: Noah Wyle Fights to Survive in ‘Falling Skies’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 18, 2011 - 6:44pmCHICAGO – It’s the end of the world as we know it, and the ragtag resistance fighters of “Falling Skies,” starring Noah Wyle from “ER,” are defending themselves against a surprise extraterrestrial colonization of earth. Live free or die hard.
Film Review: Ryan Reynolds in ‘Green Lantern’ is Spectacle Over Story
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 17, 2011 - 8:02pmCHICAGO – The tipping point is close approaching in the super hero movie aura, especially as the B-list get their moment in the projection machine. “Green Lantern,” featuring Ryan Reynolds, stays true to its comic book roots, but lacks any cohesive passion within the main story.
Ryan Reynolds in ‘Green Lantern’ is Spectacle Over Story
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 17, 2011 - 7:58pm![]() Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The tipping point is close approaching in the super hero movie aura, especially as the B-list get their moment in the projection machine. “Green Lantern,” featuring Ryan Reynolds, stays true to its comic book roots, but lacks any cohesive passion within the main story.
Blu-Ray Review: Third Season of HBO’s Sex-Soaked Smash ‘True Blood’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 17, 2011 - 3:00pmCHICAGO – The most blood and sex-soaked program on television returns at the end of this month for another round of supernatural chaos but there’s still time to catch up with the third season of HBO’s “True Blood,” recently released in a bonus-packed DVD and Blu-ray set.
DVD Review: Warner Archive Releases ‘The F.B.I.,’ ‘Southland’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 17, 2011 - 2:57pmCHICAGO – Loyal readers of HollywoodChicago.com will know that this TV critic is a HUGE fan of TNT’s “Southland,” the best cop drama currently on television and one of the best dramas, period. How anyone at NBC let this stellar program go will remain one of the great TV mysteries of the new millennium. Its unusual second season has recently been released by Warner Archive along with a program forty-five years its elder in “The F.B.I.”
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Pairs of Chicago Anytime Passes to ‘The Art of Getting By’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 17, 2011 - 11:36amCHICAGO – In our latest romance edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes up for grabs to the film “The Art of Getting By”!
Film Review: Nature is Abused By Jim Carrey in ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 17, 2011 - 7:56amCHICAGO – Pity the poor penguin making pictures. Their wings cannot fly, they have no script approval or agents, just a trainer bribing them with food to hit the mark. Their presence, their cuteness, even their flightlessness are exploited for a dreadful Jim Carrey film called “Mr Popper’s Penguins.” Somebody call PETA.
Nature is Abused By Jim Carrey in ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 17, 2011 - 7:49am![]() Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Pity the poor penguin making pictures. Their wings cannot fly, they have no script approval or agents, just a trainer bribing them with food to hit the mark. Their presence, their cuteness, even their flightlessness are exploited for a dreadful Jim Carrey film called “Mr Popper’s Penguins.” Somebody call PETA.