September 2012

CHICAGO – Steve Harvey seems to be everywhere these days. He’s hosting morning radio programs, headlining “Family Feud,” launching his own daytime talk show and even hawking the latest attractions On Demand. Yet for all of his media exposure, the man has yet to prove that he’s much of an authority on anything. He’s basically an average comic blessed by the kiss of Oprah.

CHICAGO – One can never argue that Nintendo doesn’t know how to treat their most beloved properties. Every few months seems to produce a game featuring one of the icons of the most important video game company in history and the latest is “New Super Mario Bros. 2,” a tweaked version of the classic now presented in 3D on the Nintendo 3DS.

CHICAGO – When “That ’70’s Show” was merely a twinkle in the eye of Ashton Kutcher’s pappy, there were real TV, film and music celebrities actually working in that disco decade. Denny Laine (of Paul McCartney and “Wings”), Eric Shea (“The Poseidon Adventure”) and Richard Anderson (“The Six Million Dollar Man”) helped to define that freak show era.

CHICAGO – “Madden NFL 13” opens with a rousing monologue from everyone’s favorite justice-obstructing Ravens linebacker, Ray Lewis. Sitting in a dimly lit and smokey locker room, he extols the virtue of hard work, tenacity, and pride, as images from the prior NFL season are projected on the lockers before seamlessly transforming into footage from the game, highlighting its shiny new physics engine.

CHICAGO – In the 1960s, network television became the ‘cool fire’ that families gathered around, and the array of trends and shows in that era had an odd but flavorful variety. Lee Meriwether (Catwoman from the 1966 ‘Batman movie), Kathy Garver (Cissy in the sitcom ‘Family Affair’) and Robert Colbert (ensemble player on the TV drama ‘The Time Tunnel’) represented those shows.

CHICAGO – I was hoping that the practically straight-to-Blu-ray “Apartment 143,” written and produced by “Buried” and “Red Lights” director Rodrigo Cortes, would be a clever horror alternative that just didn’t find the right path to mainstream success but was truly worth your time. My hopes were dashed against the rocks of cliched storytelling, awful acting, and generic direction about ten minutes into this mess. A few decent ideas in an interesting climax save it from complete disaster but you’re likely to have turned it off by that time and visited a scarier location.

CHICAGO – In 1969, amid the turbulent decade of the 1960s, a landmark TV sitcom made its debut with the simple phrase, “Here’s the story…” “The Brady Bunch” has endured in entertainment culture ever since, and four of the actors who comprised the Bunch – Barry Williams (Greg), Christopher Knight (Peter), Mike Lookinland (Bobby) and Susan Olsen (Cindy) have evolved to adulthood with varied interests and pursuits.

CHICAGO – The comedian with the tough-to-pronounce name, Mike Birbiglia, hits the next stage with a new film based on his one man show, “Sleepwalk with Me.” Produced and co-written by Ira Glass of “This American Life,” the story of the serious subject of a sleepwalking disorder creates both mordant laughs and poignant moments.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – I can still remember when I first heard the band Morphine. It was the title track from their stellar 1993 album, “Cure For Pain,” which also serves as the title for a strong new rock doc about this underrated and underappreciated trio that’s now playing On Demand.

CHICAGO – A film marketing itself as being “based on a true story” doesn’t hold the same teeth it once did. With truly original stories a financial high risk for Hollywood and many films leaning toward being based on a best-selling novel, the genre that is based on a true story or “inspired by true events” has increasingly taken creative liberties.

CHICAGO – Bring up the name Ed Asner, and immediately his legendary TV character Lou Grant comes to mind. Asner created the only TV character to successfully transition from a sitcom – “Mary Tyler Moore” – to the cutting-edge TV drama “Lou Grant.” But Asner has also been steadily working since those days, including his latest film “Let Go.”

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com (Massive!) Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 500 pairs – yes, that’s 1,000 people! – of movie passes (normally $11.54 each!) up for grabs to the one-week engagement of the unromatic comedy “Love Stalker” at the Portage Theater!

CHICAGO – It’s exciting to witness a breakthrough with a new film artist. The comedian Mike Birbiglia has adapted his one-man show, “Sleepwalk with Me,” into a movie, and the result is a naturalistic performance piece that plays both like a documentary and Woody Allen’s during the “Annie Hall” period. Birbiglia gets a little help from some friends like Lauren Ambrose, Kirsten Schaal, Wyatt Cenac and Amy Schumer.