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—>
September 2011
TV Feature: The 10 Most Promising New Shows of Fall 2011
Submitted by BrianTT on September 12, 2011 - 10:51amCHICAGO – Do you want the good news or the bad news, TV fans? The good news is that the upcoming crop of new Fall programs from the five major networks (totaling 27 new shows) is not as bad as last year’s incredibly-horrible debut slate. The bad news is that it’s still pretty bad. There is no “Lost,” no “Glee,” no “Modern Family,” no instant stand-outs of any kind.
DVD Review: ‘Running Wilde,’ ‘Detroit 1-8-7’ Represent Unfulfilled Promises
Submitted by BrianTT on September 11, 2011 - 7:44pmCHICAGO – With stars that have found critical success before on television in shows like “The Sopranos” (Michael Imperioli), “Arrested Development” (Will Arnett), and “Felicity” (Keri Russell) there was reason to be excited around a year ago when it came to “Detroit 1-8-7” and “Running Wilde,” two shows with little in common other than the fact that their first seasons will be their only seasons and they were both recently released on DVD courtesy of Lionsgate.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Drive’ With Ryan Gosling
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 11, 2011 - 4:46pmCHICAGO – In our latest action/crime/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Drive” starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston!
Blu-Ray Review: Dramatically Satisfying, Oscar-Winning ‘In a Better World’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 11, 2011 - 11:07amCHICAGO – Susanne Bier’s “In a Better World” has stuck with me. After seeing it in theaters five months ago, I was a little hard on the film due to the fact that it beat out so many great ones for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, including “Dogtooth,” “Incendies,” and the film that most people thought would win, “Biutiful.” I still question that decision, but this is a stronger film than I first gave it credit for — a bit more shallow and cut-and-dry than it should have been but a dramatically satisfying rental, now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
DVD Review: Original ‘Captain America’ Tries to Bank Off Reboot’s Success
Submitted by BrianTT on September 10, 2011 - 3:47pmCHICAGO – You’re probably going “Huh? There was another Captain America movie? Before Chris Evans?” Believe it or not, yes. Before people like Bryan Singer and Sam Raimi turned the Marvel-verse (and really all of Hollywood) on its head by proving that superheroes could not only be profitable but critically viable as well, there were some honest train wrecks, including an incomplete version of “Fantastic Four” and an awful adaptation of “Captain America,” recently released on DVD to tie in with the success of “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Don’t get them confused.
TV Review: ‘Rebirth’ Beautifully Chronicles Our Ability to Heal
Submitted by BrianTT on September 10, 2011 - 3:17pmCHICAGO – How do we go on? How do we pick up the pieces after devastation so shocking and damaging that words can hardly do it justice? The great lesson on the ten-year anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11/01 may be that we might have different ways to heal, but we all do it. We move forward.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 35 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Straw Dogs’ With James Marsden, Kate Bosworth
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 9, 2011 - 4:15pmCHICAGO – In our latest 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 “Straw Dogs” starring James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård and James Woods!
Film Review: Torturous, Awful ‘Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 9, 2011 - 1:27pmCHICAGO – Adam Sandler lost a bet. How else to explain the existence of “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star,” a movie that no one but the man behind Happy Madison would possibly finance? If you took this script (co-written by Little Nicky himself) to any sane film producer, they would assume you were pulling a prank.
Torturous, Awful ‘Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 9, 2011 - 1:17pm![]() Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Adam Sandler lost a bet. How else to explain the existence of “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star,” a movie that no one but the man behind Happy Madison would possibly finance? If you took this script (co-written by Little Nicky himself) to any sane film producer, they would assume you were pulling a prank.
Film Review: Life in Iran For Women Produces ‘Circumstance’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 9, 2011 - 8:13amCHICAGO – Power is a strange, corrupting force. Human beings manufacture power based on governments, money and religion. Oftentimes an element of humanity must be sacrificed to obtain power. In Iran, that element is women, as religious and governmental oppression conspire to create “Circumstance.”
Life in Iran For Women Produces ‘Circumstance’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 9, 2011 - 8:09am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Power is a strange, corrupting force. Human beings manufacture power based on governments, money and religion. Oftentimes an element of humanity must be sacrificed to obtain power. In Iran, that element is women, as religious and governmental oppression conspire to create “Circumstance.”
Film Review: Unfunny ‘Burke and Hare’ Wastes Top-Notch Cast
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 9, 2011 - 7:34amCHICAGO – There are few sights more depressing than a game cast all dressed up with nowhere to go and no good jokes to share. “Burke and Hare” is the sort of comedy Mel Brooks was making in the ’90s. All the ingredients are on hand for a promising comedy, and yet something’s missing—namely, laughter. The timing is off, the punch-lines are obvious and the actors are bored beyond belief.
Unfunny ‘Burke and Hare’ Wastes Top-Notch Cast
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 9, 2011 - 7:22am![]() Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are few sights more depressing than a game cast all dressed up with nowhere to go and no good jokes to share. “Burke and Hare” is the sort of comedy Mel Brooks was making in the ’90s. All the ingredients are on hand for a promising comedy, and yet something’s missing—namely, laughter. The timing is off, the punch-lines are obvious and the actors are bored beyond belief.
Blu-Ray Review: 25th Anniversary Edition of Blockbuster ‘Top Gun’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 8, 2011 - 2:41pmCHICAGO – “Top Gun” is one of those movies that defies critical analysis. It’s purposefully stupid, playing off and even redefining macho archetypes in such a way that I would argue that it’s one of the most influential blockbusters of the ’80s. But is it a “good” movie? Not really. But who cares? It’s fun and the 25th Anniversary Edition plays right into the wallets of fan’s need for speed.
TV Review: Clichés Deflate Potential Emotion of ‘The Space Between’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 8, 2011 - 2:31pmCHICAGO – Some movies don’t just use cliches, they practically bathe in them, finding little other way to tell their story. Despite yet another strong performance from Oscar winner Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”), “The Space Between,” being broadcast uncut on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 this Sunday, is such a movie. She keeps it interesting but the film takes a potentially resonant story and deflates it with paper-thin storytelling.
Blu-Ray Review: Seventh Season of ‘House’ Shows Symptoms of Series in Decline
Submitted by BrianTT on September 8, 2011 - 2:28pmCHICAGO – There are reasons to worry about “House.” Let’s look at the symptoms. First, the temperature — the show’s ratings. They’re down nearly 50% from the season-three peak, averaging just under 10 million last year, down from closer to 13 million the year before. They’re still impressive numbers but when there were rumors of a network shift or even cancellation last year, no one was shocked.
Blu-Ray Review: CW Hits ‘Nikita,’ ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Now Available
Submitted by BrianTT on September 8, 2011 - 11:12amCHICAGO – The CW is an interesting story for a TV critic. If you just look at their numbers, they shouldn’t even be able to pay the electricity bill to transmit a signal. And yet numbers no longer tell the entire tale. The CW attracts loyal viewers through new delivery systems including On Demand, iTunes, and DVD/Blu-ray. Two of their most notable shows, “Nikita” and “The Vampire Diaries,” hit the market last week. Catch up before they return for new seasons.
Film Review: Steven Soderbergh’s Riveting ‘Contagion’ With Matt Damon
Submitted by BrianTT on September 8, 2011 - 10:04amCHICAGO – A few weeks ago saw the release of the R-rated “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” a gore-free creature feature that was given the MPAA stamp of 17-plus due to “pervasive scariness.” This week sees the PG-13-rated “Contagion,” a film SO much more pervasively scary than the movie about goblins in a distant mansion because, well, it’s about the fact that the world is pervasively scary.
Steven Soderbergh’s Riveting ‘Contagion’ With Matt Damon
Submitted by BrianTT on September 8, 2011 - 10:01am![]() Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A few weeks ago saw the release of the R-rated “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” a gore-free creature feature that was given the MPAA stamp of 17-plus due to “pervasive scariness.” This week sees the PG-13-rated “Contagion,” a film SO much more pervasively scary than the movie about goblins in a distant mansion because, well, it’s about the fact that the world is pervasively scary.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘United 93’ Remains One of the Decade’s Best Films
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 8, 2011 - 7:23amCHICAGO – When Paul Greengrass’s “United 93” opened in American cinemas on April 28, 2006, the vast majority of buzz surrounding the film centered on the controversial question of whether it was in fact “too soon” for a film based on the 9/11 terrorist attacks to hit the big screen. It apparently wasn’t too soon for the small screen, since Peter Markle’s TV dramatization “Flight 93” played to little fanfare in January of that year.
Film Feature: The 10 Most Anticipated Films of Fall 2011
Submitted by BrianTT on September 7, 2011 - 6:22pmCHICAGO – This is usually the time of year where we bemoan the months that have just passed and talk about the quality to come in the Fall. The fact is that if the upcoming season is half-as-good as the previous three, 2011 is going to be the best year in film in ages. It’s been a VERY strong year at the cinema and there’s every indication that we ain’t seen nothing yet.
Theater Review: Evocative ‘For the Boys’ Must Blend Disconnected Song With Rich Story
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 7, 2011 - 6:04pmCHICAGO – Musical theater takes on the burden or blessing of twice the challenge as songless theater. To earn widespread acclaim and timeless durability, a show will seamlessly balance song and story in perfect harmony. The two living, breathing creatures must symbiotically advance each other. If one’s stronger, one suffocates the other and both die.
Blu-Ray Review: Coen Brothers Hit HD With Four of Their Best
Submitted by BrianTT on September 7, 2011 - 3:36pmCHICAGO – Few directors have ever kickstarted their career more confidently than Joel and Ethan Coen. And they did it with such an array of genre and subject matter from the gritty noir of “Blood Simple” to the subversive comedy of “Raising Arizona” to the gangster epic “Miller’s Crossing” to the heavily-symbolic drama “Barton Fink” to the whimsical charmer “The Hudsucker Proxy” and head-first into one of the best movies ever made — “Fargo.” Four of their first six films have been collected in the “Coen Brothers Collection” and while Fox was, very sadly, only able to send over one of them individually, we didn’t want this stellar collection to go unmentioned.
Theater News: Smash-Hit ‘The Book of Mormon’ Coming to Chicago in 2012
Submitted by TimBMartens on September 7, 2011 - 3:25pmCHICAGO – The biggest and most talked about musical to hit Broadway in years will have a mission in Chicago come December 2012. “The Book of Mormon,” winner of 9 Tony Awards this year including Best Musical, will be coming to the Bank of America Theater in downtown Chicago for at least a 12 week run.
Film News: Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger Sign on For ‘The Expendables 2’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 7, 2011 - 1:05pmCHICAGO – Like most instances in Hollywood these days, one gun-filled, explosive, action-packed film is never enough; not when a sequel can be made that promises the same exciting sequences and macho heroes. That is why it is no surprise that Lionsgate has given the green light to a sequel for the 2010 film “The Expendables,” titled “The Expendables 2,” and two of the biggest action stars of all time will join the fun.
Blu-Ray Review: Amazing Series Ends With ‘The Twilight Zone: Season 5’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 7, 2011 - 12:23pmCHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com has never heaped as much praise on one series of releases as the season sets for one of the best shows of all time — “The Twilight Zone”. Did you really think we would change our tune with the fifth and final season of this amazingly-influential program? Of course not. Complete your collection.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 7, 2011 - 12:00pmCHICAGO – On the menu screen for “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” director Morgan Spurlock promises that the movie you’re about to watch will “impregnate your brain with awesome.” That’s quite a promise and the movie doesn’t exactly live up to it. Once again, it’s a decent documentary made by a very-smart man that still has frustrating flaws — like all of Spurlock’s work.
Blu-Ray Review: Beloved ‘Scarface’ With Al Pacino Joins HD Catalog
Submitted by BrianTT on September 7, 2011 - 11:13amCHICAGO – We’re heading into that time of year when people buy gifts for loved ones of things they already have. Sorta. As we get closer to the holidays, catalog titles get the upgrade with new transfers and special features to make the fact that you already own your favorite movie on a now-useless DVD easier to bear.
Blu-Ray Review: Well-Acted ‘Sympathy For Delicious’ Feels Too One-Note
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 7, 2011 - 7:17amCHICAGO – An intriguing, highly unusual premise is brought to life by fine performances in “Sympathy for Delicious,” but the film’s aim to inspire is undercut by the shallowness of its one-note characters. Scene after scene veers between a genuinely absorbing morality play and a feature-length “Touched by an Angel” episode riddled with f-bombs.
Film News: Eddie Murphy to Host Academy Awards on Feb. 26, 2012
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 6, 2011 - 5:58pmCHICAGO – After what many considered to be a rather dull and boring host in James Franco and an overly perky and strangely excited job by Anne Hathaway, the 2012 edition of the Academy Awards will be hosted by a completely different talent: actor/comedian Eddie Murphy. Rumors spread this past weekend that Murphy was in the running for the position and the Academy confirmed the speculation was true this morning when they officially named Murphy the host.