June 2011

CHICAGO – In an era where America’s budget concerns are front and center, a TV series celebrating the awesomeness of the CIA seems a bit ill-timed. Piper Perabo portrays an undercover operative in the second season premiere of USA Network’s “Covert Affairs.”

CHICAGO – What would be the circumstance if after a mother dies, the father suddenly comes out as a gay? Writer/director Mike Mills had that situation occur, and created the new film “Beginners,” featuring Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor.

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Bill Moller’s show on WGN-Radio in Chicago on Jue 4th, 2011 to take listener calls about what they think should be nominated for 2011 Emmys, including “Boardwalk Empire,” “Blue Bloods,” “Justified,” and more.

CHICAGO – In our latest AMC/IMAX edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have one grand-prize $50 AMC gift card plus five IMAX swag bags up for grabs for the opening of the new IMAX screen at AMC Loews Country Club Hills 16!

CHICAGO – “Red Faction Armageddon” is a stellar game for players who like their action explosive. The last game in this franchise, “Red Faction Guerilla,” was based more on open-ended gameplay with destruction being a key element.

CHICAGO – Brian Tallerico, content director and TV critic for HollywoodChicago.com, will appear on Bill Moller’s program this Saturday on WGN Radio 720 AM in Chicago. The show plays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every weekend. It’s the time of year when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences puts together its list of favorites for Emmy nominations. With ballots due this month, who do you think should be nominated?

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – At the heart of Pierre Thoretton’s melancholy documentary is a story of lost love, lost art, and the ever-present aura they leave behind. Pierre Bergé is often credited as co-founder of the couture house headed by world famous designer Yves Saint Laurent. Yet “L’amour Fou” allows Bergé to set the record straight on just how large a role he played in Saint Laurent’s phenomenal success.

CHICAGO – One goes into a 3D film called “Drive Angry” with Nicolas Cage with different expectations. Just as you don’t judge “Piranha 3D” on the same scale as “The King’s Speech,” “Drive Angry” should be judged on what it sets out to do — offer ridiculous, over-the-top, B-movie entertainment. On that level, it works.

CHICAGO – The animated adventure “Gnomeo & Juliet,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, features an A-list voice cast and some beloved hits by Sir Elton John, but just getting talent in the recording booth either musically or merely vocally does not a movie make and the script for this thing is so uninspired and accompanied by lackluster visuals that it’s just dull to anyone over ten.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Matthew Vaughn rights the ship of mediocre superhero movies with the incredibly accomplished “X-Men: First Class,” the best Marvel Movie since “Spider-Man 2” and a film that proves that big blockbuster summer entertainment can be both commercially crowd-pleasing and intellectually complex at the same time. “X-Men: First Class” features a spectacular mix of well-choreographed action, revisionist history, themes of tolerance, and great performances. This will be one of the best movies of this season.

CHICAGO – In our latest highly anticipated sci-fi edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 60 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new highly anticipated film “Super 8” from J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg!

CHICAGO – Any conversation of the best Westerns in movie history that doesn’t include Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West” is incomplete. It’s one of those rare films that has truly gotten better with age. I’m not sure if it’s just that I appreciate it more the older I get, but I’m not alone. The film now ranks high on nearly every important list of the best movies ever made. Yes, it’s that good, and the Blu-ray restoration, which hit stores this week, is a beauty.

CHICAGO – The feel bad movie of 2010 has finally arrived in stores. Pardon me for withholding my enthusiasm. Although Alejandro González Iñárritu’s fourth feature has its share of indelible images, its familiar themes and unrelenting solemnity causes the senses to become numbed rather than engaged. The film offers 147 minutes of pure bleakness with a couple booger jokes thrown in for last-minute levity.