CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
HollywoodChicago.com DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Excellence Continues With Twelfth Season of ‘The Simpsons’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 25, 2009 - 4:20pmCHICAGO – Since Fox released the first season of “The Simpsons” on DVD, fans of the series have anticipated each new release like a kid waiting for presents for a fat man in a red suit to fall down a chimney in late December. Each season set for “The Simpsons” has set the bar for what TV on DVD should be. It’s no surprise that the twelfth season doesn’t change the excellent pattern.
DVD Review: ‘Tyson’ is One of the Best Documentaries of 2009
Submitted by BrianTT on August 24, 2009 - 4:11pmCHICAGO – To a lot of people out there, the very concept of James Toback’s “Tyson” might sound overwhelming. Spending ninety minutes with a man as intense, controversial, and even scary as Mike Tyson could have been a nightmare. But in the hands of the very talented Toback (“Bugsy,” “Fingers”), “Tyson” is a riveting portrait of a life lived in the public eye but barely understood by it.
DVD Review: Tilda Swinton Mesmerizes in Thrilling ‘Julia’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 24, 2009 - 11:17amCHICAGO – Tilda Swinton, Oscar winner for “Michael Clayton,” gives the best female performance of the year to date in the riveting, thrilling, excellent “Julia,” now available on DVD and one of the best films of 2009 that you probably haven’t seen. The lack of special features on the Magnolia-produced DVD (and its lack of existence on Blu-Ray) is a bet of a let-down but the film is an underrated gem that should find a loyal audience on the home market.
DVD Review: Season Sets For ‘Dirty Sexy Money,’ ‘Scrubs,’ ‘Samantha Who’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 20, 2009 - 12:53pmCHICAGO – Buena Vista Home Video is releasing three sets next week that would be a trio of final season sets if not for the last-minute and surprising renewal of “Scrubs,” despite a beautiful series finale. That finale is included on “Scrubs: The Complete Eighth Season,” which joins “Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete And Final Second Season” and “Samantha Who?: The Complete Second And Final Season” on store shelves this week.
DVD Review: Season Two of ‘Gossip Girl’ With Blake Lively, Leighton Meester
Submitted by BrianTT on August 20, 2009 - 10:36amCHICAGO – It’s senior year for the spoiled socialites of “Gossip Girl” as the second season of the hit CW show finds the characters applying for college amid scandals, new romances (and old ones), and shifting alliances. It’s just another crazy year in the life of “Gossip Girl: The Complete Second Season,” now available on DVD in a gorgeous box set from Warner Brothers.
DVD Review: First Season of New ‘90210’ With Shenae Grimes, Jessica Stroup
Submitted by BrianTT on August 19, 2009 - 4:15pmCHICAGO – I have to admit to looking forward to watching a few episodes of the new “90210,” now on DVD, in the same way that a lot of people look forward to a root canal. It’s not that I’m a loyalist to the original (unlike most of my generation, I barely saw the show), but most of the press surrounding the show’s original run on The CW annoyed me to no end and it felt like a blatant attempt to cash in on the success of “Gossip Girl” with another teeny-bopper soap opera.
DVD Review: Indie Thriller ‘Fissure’ With James MacDonald, Crystal Mantecon
Submitted by BrianTT on August 17, 2009 - 12:37pmCHICAGO – Hardcore movie lovers know the joy of finding a clever comedy or taut thriller that they had never even heard of before they went to the video store. What’s more exciting? Having your preview-determined opinions confirmed or finding something totally off the beaten path? It may not be perfect, but Russ Pond’s consistently interesting “Fissure” could be the hidden gem you’re looking for this weekend.
DVD Review: HBO Brings Home Emmy Contenders ‘Flight of the Conchords,’ ‘Grey Gardens’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 12, 2009 - 6:28pmCHICAGO – Two of HBO’s most acclaimed and beloved programs of the last year just hit DVD and both packages are worth the pick-up for anyone who considers themselves a serious collector of TV on DVD - “Flight of the Conchords: Season Two” and “Grey Gardens”. Both were nominated for multiple Emmys, standing among the best television of 2008 and 2009.
DVD Review: Director’s Cut of ‘Watchmen’ Gives Fans Half a Release
Submitted by BrianTT on August 4, 2009 - 3:42pmCHICAGO – Despite the serious problems I had with Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen,” it was a Blu-Ray and DVD title that I was highly anticipating. With the film’s detailed production level, lengthy running time, and broad scope, it would seem to be tailor-made for a loyal home audience. Whether you like the film or not, that audience is getting screwed.
DVD Review: ‘Green Lantern: First Flight’ Falls Short of DC Universe Standard
Submitted by BrianTT on August 3, 2009 - 11:36amCHICAGO – The DC Universe brand of straight-to-DVD titles has worked its way through Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League and settled on Green Lantern, never a favorite character of this old school superhero fan and the first real misfire in the DC Universe line.
