HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Reviews

Blu-ray Review: Great Gift Set Comes Early in ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’

The Dark Knight Trilogy

CHICAGO – Believe it or not, it’s already time to start holiday shopping, which means it’s the time of year that studios release lavish gift sets for their most beloved films. No one is better at this holiday season product design than Warner Bros., who has released great Limited Edition sets for “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factor,” “Ben-Hur,” and the “Harry Potter” films in recent years. The first one this year is one of the best I’ve seen, a gorgeously packaged and beautifully accompanied collection for “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” including awesome physical collectibles and 90 minutes of new special features.

Blu-ray Review: ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ Joins Criterion Collection

La Cage Aux Folles

CHICAGO – 1978’s release of the French farce “La Cage Aux Folles” was a cultural event in New York City, where it played for months to audiences who had never seen anything like it. History has somewhat reappraised the film, especially so after the release of the Mike Nichols’ remake “The Birdcage,” and seen it as more than mere popular entertainment, crediting it with opening minds to lifestyles previously closeted.

What to Watch: Sept. 24-30, 2013 – Film Edition

Room 237

CHICAGO – We’re back with the new releases on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming services from the last week that we think are the most interesting. Our fearless leader, Adam Fendelman, will have a lot to say about “Mr. Nobody,” now On Demand, in coming weeks and we’ll include that in next week’s What to Watch, but these are the four new Blu-ray/DVD releases that are most likely to grab your attention.

What to Watch: Sept. 24-30, 2013 – TV Edition

Doctor Who S7

CHICAGO – There’s too much TV being released on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming services this time of year to watch it all. There literally aren’t enough hours in the day. So how do you work through it all, find what you want to watch, and set it aside for you valuable free time? What to Watch, once again this week split into two editions — one focusing on TV and the other on film. We’ll start with the boob tube one, which features a cult hit, two animated shows, a multiple Emmy winner, and one of CBS’s biggest comedies. In the order that we’d recommend you buy ‘em…

Blu-ray Review: ‘Hannibal’ is Best Drama on Network TV

Hannibal

CHICAGO – Has there ever been a network TV show more cinematic than “Hannibal”? Especially when one watches it commercial-free in “binge” format on the newly-released Blu-ray, one can even more distinctly appreciate the fact that the first season of Bryan Fuller’s incredible show, the best on network TV, plays like long film. Scratch that.

Blu-ray Review: Devastating Honesty of Bergman’s ‘Autumn Sonata’

Autumn Sonata

CHICAGO – “Autumn Sonata,” Ingrid Bergman’s last film and first collaboration with cinema’s other great Bergman (Ingmar), is a challenging film. Is it pure melodrama or is it raw human emotion? The line is a fine one, enhanced by the theatricality of the film, one that opens with a character breaking the 4th wall. And yet I choose to take “Autumn Sonata” seriously and not as emotional manipulation, a decision enhanced by the enlightening essay in the Criterion edition by Farran Smith Nehme, which reveals how much of both Bergman’s own issues with parenthood may have impacted this caustic commentary on how we don’t really change, even as death is staring us in the face.

Blu-ray Review: Scream Factory Wants All of Your Money with Four New Collector’s Editions

Day of the Dead

CHICAGO – Scream Factory refuses to let up, releasing four more stellar Blu-ray editions that will just add to the debt of hardcore horror fans. Not all four of these films are great on their own but they’re all great Blu-ray releases, full of special features and with some truly amazing transfers. Genre junkies, like myself, should own all four, even “Psycho III.” Sorry. Maybe you can take out a loan. It’s not my fault. Don’t shoot the horror messenger.

What to Watch: Sept. 17-23, 2013 – Film Edition

Gimme the Loot

CHICAGO – We hit your calendar and your wallet earlier this week with a special TV-only edition of What to Watch and now we’re back to fill in the films that were released this week on DVD, Blu-ray, and streamimg services that may catch your attention. Want to watch a movie this weekend? Why not make it one of these five? If I had to rank them in order of preference, here’s how it would go…

Blu-ray Review: ‘Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection’

Friday the 13th Collection

CHICAGO – For the first time, all 12 films in the legacy of Jason Voorhees are available on Blu-ray in one box set, “Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection,” and the results are wonderfully comprehensive if not overly impressive. It’s great to have all of these films in one place, especially for hardcore fans of this insanely inconsistent but influential series, but the true opportunity to provide something new other than packaging, a few HD transfers, and physical collectibles is disappointing.

What to Watch: Sept. 17-23, 2013 – TV Edition

Bates Motel

CHICAGO – This time of year is so rich with Blu-ray and DVD releases of last year’s television seasons that we thought we’d break out the latest ones into their own special edition of What to Watch. Stay tuned for a movie-specific one later in the week that includes “World War Z,” “The East,” “All is Bright,” and more, but this is just for you TV junkies. Pick your faves from the recently-released seasons of television on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming platforms. Most of these are new to Blu-ray and DVD today, September 17, 2013. If I had to rank them in order of preference, here’s how it would go…

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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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