May 2012

Film Review: Ballet is a Fierce, Youthful Art in ‘First Position’

First Position

CHICAGO – In general, one of the essential rites of passage for girls in childhood are ballet lessons and costumed recitals. What about those exceptional talents who stick with the art? Director Bess Kargman creates a documentary about the elite youth within the beauty and truth of the dance, “First Position.”

Ballet is a Fierce, Youthful Art in ‘First Position’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – In general, one of the essential rites of passage for girls in childhood are ballet lessons and costumed recitals. What about those exceptional talents who stick with the art? Director Bess Kargman creates a documentary about the elite youth within the beauty and truth of the dance, “First Position.”

Film News: ‘Battleship’ Sinks as ‘The Avengers’ Continues to Dominate Box Office

Battleship from Peter Berg with Taylor Kitsch (teaser)

CHICAGO – “Marvel’s The Avengers” continued to completely dominate at the box office this weekend, grossing another $55.1 million domestically for a total of $457.1 million, good enough for 6th place all time after only 17 days in release. The massive hit has already grossed $1.2 BILLION worldwide, ranking 4th place all time.

Film Review: ‘Where Do We Go Now?’ Advances a Path Toward Peace

Nadine Labaki, "Where Do We Go Now?"

CHICAGO – Society constantly needs a reminder about itself, especially in the arena of political and religious conflict. “Where Do We Go Now?,” written and directed with creative delicacy by Nadine Labaki, provides that reminder and fashions an adult fable of how women can do their part to stop war.

‘Where Do We Go Now?’ Advances a Path Toward Peace

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Society constantly needs a reminder about itself, especially in the arena of political and religious conflict. “Where Do We Go Now?,” written and directed with creative delicacy by Nadine Labaki, provides that reminder and fashions an adult fable of how women can do their part to stop war.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘U.N. Me’ With Director Ami Horowitz Q&A

U.N. Me from Ami Horowitz

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 30 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of “U.N. Me” with a post-screening Q&A with director Ami Horowitz!

Film Review: Tour de Force for Jack Black in Fact-Based ‘Bernie’

CHICAGO – Jack Black is a smart and interesting actor. Not content to ride on the modern day John Belushi-type roles that might have pigeonholed him, Black portrays “Bernie,” a convincing conniver in Texas, based on a true story. Veterans Matthew McConaughhey and Shirley MacLaine add spice to the brew.

Tour de Force for Jack Black in Fact-Based ‘Bernie’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Jack Black is a smart and interesting actor. Not content to ride on the modern day John Belushi-type roles that might have pigeonholed him, Black portrays “Bernie,” a convincing conniver in Texas, based on a true story. Veterans Matthew McConaughhey and Shirley MacLaine add spice to the brew.

DVD Review: Surprising Hit ‘Chronicle’ Cleverly Plays with Timeless Themes

Chronicle with Dane DeHaan

CHICAGO – With great power comes great responsibility. Since the invention of the written word, authors have been playing with the idea that power leads to problems as it is man’s inherent nature to use that power to satisfy his own needs. Superhero fiction is based on it (good guys use their power for good, villains use it for evil). A lot of sci-fi is based on it. And the smash hit “Chronicle” (over $120 million worldwide with 10% of that as its budget), recently released on DVD and Blu-ray, cleverly plays with these themes in a way that feels new. The DVD offers nothing notable in terms of special features so one should probably expect a special edition to be released to coincide with the in-production “Chronicle 2.”

Blu-ray Review: Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams in Deadly Dull ‘The Vow’

The Vow with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum

CHICAGO – I feel like a bit of a confession is necessary to frame my opinion of the truly awful “The Vow.” Lest you think this is just some cynical male critic, I like “The Notebook” and “The Lake House.” I even kind of like “Dear John” and didn’t hate “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” Yes, I’m a cheeseball when the cheese is well-done. I wanted to like “The Vow.” There’s nothing to like here unless you find taking talented, charming actors and making them deadly dull likeable.

Blu-ray Review: Mind-Numbing Franchise Continues with ‘Underworld: Awakening’

Underworld: Awakening

CHICAGO – How did we get to four “Underworld” movies? Sure, the first one is decent B-movie entertainment and there are even moments in the fourth one, “Underworld: Awakening,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, that find a bit of that glee but these are such products of a marketing machine. There’s nothing interesting, original, or exciting here. You watch ‘em and forget about it ‘em by the time your Blu-ray player has powered down. Don’t bother. There are better ways to spend your time.

Film Review: Boredom Awaits During ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ with Cameron Diaz

CHICAGO – “Battleship” is getting a lot of flack this week for having little to do with its alleged source. I would argue that the awful “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is even more dishonest when it comes to its inspiration.

Boredom Awaits During ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.0/5.0
Rating: 1.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Battleship” is getting a lot of flack this week for having little to do with its alleged source. I would argue that the awful “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is even more dishonest when it comes to its inspiration. Working from an instructional book that’s designed to prepare adults for impending parenthood, the film that steals its title turns truth into cliché.

TV News: USA Network Gets ‘Modern Family,’ Readies Other Comedies

USA Logo - Blue

CHICAGOUSA Network, having recently acquired the rights to the syndicated run of “Modern Family,” announced a couple of other comedies recently from some pretty big names in the genre, as well as some interesting choices.

TV News: USA Serves Up Culinary Assassins, Dick Wolf Drama

USA Logo - Gray

CHICAGO – The USA Network is pretty excellent at taking ridiculous ideas and making them quality entertainment. The network that brought us the OCD Detective Monk and managed to squeeze a Christmas episode out of Stephen King’s ‘The Dead Zone’ is back at the quirky drama cafe yet again after offering up a preview of it’s 2012 Drama slate.

TV News: USA Welcomes Real Characters with Reality TV Initiative

USA Logo - White

CHICAGOUSA Network, most known for it’s WWE programming and a bunch of really good character focused comedy-drama’s you’ve wanted to get around to watching (but haven’t), announced several new reality TV programs it plans to bring to the network in 2012.

Despite Rihanna, Peter Berg’s ‘Battleship’ Lands as One of the Best Popcorn Flicks Ever

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Battleship” certainly could simplistically be reduced to a 131-minute propaganda piece of why you might want to enlist in the U.S. Navy – that is, if Earth had to ward off lizard-like creatures from a deep-space solar system we can only reach by slingshotting a highly amplified “What’s up, aliens?” broadcast to them.

Film Review: Despite Rihanna, Peter Berg’s ‘Battleship’ Lands as One of the Best Popcorn Flicks Ever

CHICAGO – “Battleship” certainly could simplistically be reduced to a 131-minute propaganda piece of why you might want to enlist in the U.S. Navy – that is, if Earth had to ward off lizard-like creatures from a deep-space solar system we can only reach by slingshotting a highly amplified “What’s up, aliens?” broadcast to them.

Interview: Shane West, Producer Craig Silverstein on the Season Finale of The CW’s ‘Nikita’

Shane West, photo by Joe Arce

CHICAGO – Friday, May 18th, marks the season finale of The CW Network’s “Nikita,” the series focusing on a rogue assassin portrayed by Maggie Q. Co-star Shane West and Producer Craig Silverstein previewed the end of the Season Two at Chicago’s C2E2.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Men in Black 3’ With Will Smith

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 25 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated “Men in Black 3” with Will Smith!

TV News: ‘Harold and Kumar’ Show Among Highlights of Adult Swim’s Jam-Packed 2012

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

CHICAGO – Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, most known for subversive, random, and often times down right disgusting television programming such as “Children’s Hospital,” “Tim & Eric’s Awesome Show,” “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” and “Robot Chicken,” has announced a whole slate of new programming after coming off it’s highest ratings in the block’s 11-year history.

Interview: Director Nadine Labaki Wonders ‘Where Do We Go Now?’

CHICAGO – The morality of conflict is brought to form in the new film, “Where Do We Go Now?,” written and directed by Nadine Labaki. This is a speculative fable about a small town in Lebanon that lives in harmony, as long as they are stay away from religious battles that plague the rest of the country. The town loves their peace, and the women there want to keep it that way.

TV News: Night by Night Recap of Entire Fall 2012 Schedule

666 Park Avenue

CHICAGO – All five of the major networks have announced their schedules for Fall 2012 and we have the full recap night by night so you can plan accordingly. What night and timeslot looks the most competitive to you? There’s certainly a pile up on Sundays and Mondays. What will you be watching?

TV News: The CW Announces Three New Shows, New Nights For ‘Top Model,’ ‘Supernatural’

CHICAGO – There have been a number of surprising announcements of new nights for hit shows this week (“Two and a Half Men,” “Glee,” “Revenge,” “Community”) and The CW closed out the trend this morning by announcing their Fall schedule and revealing that “America’s Next Top Model” and “Supernatural” will swap evenings.

Film Review: Middling ‘Mansome’ Suffers From Skin-Deep Insight

Mansome Film Review

CHICAGO – Morgan Spurlock is an awfully likable guy. I’ll never forget the day when he held a special screening of “Super Size Me” for an auditorium full of college kids. After participating in an extended Q & A, Spurlock spoke with every single student that wanted to shake his hand and pose for a picture. When the building finally had to close up for the night, the Spurlock love fest spilled out onto the sidewalk.

Middling ‘Mansome’ Suffers From Skin-Deep Insight

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Morgan Spurlock is an awfully likable guy. I’ll never forget the day when he held a special screening of “Super Size Me” for an auditorium full of college kids. After participating in an extended Q & A, Spurlock spoke with every single student that wanted to shake his hand and pose for a picture. When the building finally had to close up for the night, the Spurlock love fest spilled out onto the sidewalk.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘For Greater Glory’ With Andy Garcia

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the new action epic “For Greater Glory” starring Andy Garcia and Eva Longoria!

Blu-ray Review: Criterion Unleashes Young Fury of ‘La Haine’

La Haine

CHICAGO – With NATO protests about to descend on Chicago, “La Haine” seems to have as much power as it did on its release almost twenty years ago. It is a visceral, draining experience about class struggles, increased diversity in Paris, economic inequality, and unchanneled rage. In other words, it’s a perfect choice for a Criterion Blu-ray upgrade as the Occupy Movement prepares to descend on the Windy City.

Film Review: Inert, Ineffective ‘The Moth Diaries’ with Lily Cole

CHICAGO – Mary Harron’s “The Moth Diaries” is a perfect teaching tool for potential filmmakers. It is proof of two oft-forgotten rules of cinema: 1. Not every successful piece of work in one medium should be adapted to another (or not all good books make good films). 2. Even talented directors can be the wrong fit for the material.

Inert, Ineffective ‘The Moth Diaries’ with Lily Cole

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.0/5.0
Rating: 2.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Mary Harron’s “The Moth Diaries” is a perfect teaching tool for potential filmmakers. It is proof of two oft-forgotten rules of cinema: 1. Not every successful piece of work in one medium should be adapted to another (or not all good books make good films). 2. Even talented directors can be the wrong fit for the material.

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  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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