HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Reviews

DVD, Blu-Ray Round Up, Jan. 20, 2009: ‘Henry Poole is Here,’ ‘The Pink Panther,’ ‘King Kong’

Pink Panther

CHICAGO – This week’s edition of the Round-Up - HollywoodChicago’s recurring feature of titles that might fall through the cracks if we don’t shine a spotlight on them, however briefly - includes proof that while not all remakes fail some certainly do, Chris Rock is still the most talented stand-up comedian alive, and the Brits usually do TV better than Americans.

Blu-Ray Review: Horror of ‘Mirrors’ Shatters on Closer Inspection

Mirrors

CHICAGO – “Mirrors” is a so-so horror movie helped a bit by its interesting director’s visual flourishes and a better-than-average ensemble but ultimately shattered by an incoherent screenplay and dialogue that is more likely to produce laughter than shivers.

Blu-Ray Review: Valentine’s Day Gift Lists Start With ‘The Notebook’

Notebook

CHICAGO – It may not have been a massive hit when it was first released, but in just a few short years, “The Notebook” has become one of the more beloved romantic dramas of the last few decades. People adore The Notebook, propelling the film to a sales total of more than nine million units to date.

DVD, Blu-Ray Round Up, Jan. 13, 2009: ‘My Best Friend’s Girl,’ ‘My Bloody Valentine,’ ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

My Bloody Original

CHICAGO – Audrey Hepburn and Dane Cook. You won’t find that kind of variety too many places outside of HollywoodChicago’s DVD & Blu-Ray Round-Up. From serial killers to musicals to a British import, this week’s round-up features an exciting variety of titles.

Blu-Ray Review: Vin Diesel’s ‘Babylon A.D.’ Passable Only in High-Definition

Babylon

CHICAGO – When did Vin Diesel go from “the next Bruce Willis” to the “the current Steven Seagal”? Diesel’s half-asleep, apathetic performance in the sci-fi action flick “Babylon A.D.” is only one of the problems with a film that was ignored in theaters but has been given a respectable treatment on Blu-Ray.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Righteous Kill’ Represents New Low For Talented Actors

Righteous Kill

CHICAGO – “Is it killing time or is he just killing time?” If you don’t groan at a line of dialogue that shockingly horrendous then we’ve got a Blu-Ray release for you. Marking a new low in a baffling series of career decisions for two of the best actors of all time, “Righteous Kill” is as much an unqualified disaster on Blu-Ray as it was when critics ridiculed it and audiences ignored it in theaters.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Swing Vote’ Wastes Great Cast on Predictable Script

Swing Vote

CHICAGO – Joshua Michael Stern’s “Swing Vote” hit theaters at the peak of the Presidential campaign and it’s no coincidence that the Blu-Ray release lands in stores a week before President-Elect Obama takes office. With a great ensemble and old-fashioned sensibility, “Swing Vote” is a film that should work. Like a misguided campaign for office, it just doesn’t come together.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Wackness’ Releases Dope Features For Slightly Wack Movie

The Wackness

CHICAGO – The coming-of-age comedy “The Wackness” with Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Olivia Thirlby, Mary-Kate Olsen, Method Man, and Famke Janssen may feature a bouncing hip-hop soundtrack and be about joyful things like first love, but it’s an oddly inert, haze-filled film, as if the regular marijuana usage in the film cast a haze over the entire project.

DVD, Blu-Ray Round Up, Jan. 7, 2009: ‘Bangkok Dangerous,’ ‘Disaster Movie,’ ‘Friday Night Lights,’ ‘Towelhead’

Disaster Movie

CHICAGO – The time has come for another round-up, a collection of DVD and Blu-Ray titles that may have missed the front page in the Best Buy circular but that might be worth your attention.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Resident Evil: Degeneration’ Dead on Arrival

Degeeration

CHICAGO – Instead of playing one of the most anticipated games of the last few years, “Resident Evil 5,” fans of one of gamings most influential franchises are being asked to watch what is essentially a 96-minute cut scene that serves as a prequel or appetizer for what is to come in 2009.

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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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