CHICAGO – The great and lofty Steppenwolf Theatre of Chicago has brought the current political season right on target with “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive,” now extended through December 17th. Click POTUS.
HollywoodChicago.com DVD Reviews
DVD Review: ‘Last Resort: The Complete Series’ Offers History of Doomed Show
Submitted by BrianTT on July 17, 2013 - 11:01amCHICAGO – Around a year ago, I named Shawn Ryan’s excellent “Last Resort” the most-promising new show of the Fall season. I think I need to relabel that this year to “creatively promising,” for while I knew Ryan and his crew here had a chance to produce something special, I also worried that ABC was dooming it on Thursday nights.
DVD Review: Complete Set For ‘Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 7, 2013 - 8:29pmCHICAGO – Bill Cosby’s “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” was more than mere Saturday morning cartoon. Maybe you didn’t realize it at the time but it was a show, looking back on it now, that really pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable subject matter in children’s entertainment. Most importantly, it didn’t treat its audience like kids, knowing that some were forced to grow up more quickly than the generation before them. It’s a great show to be given the complete series treatment and Shout Factory delivers.
DVD Review: ‘Best of Warner Bros. 20 Film Collection: Comedy’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 6, 2013 - 1:37pmCHICAGO – The “Best of Warner Bros.” series of DVD box sets increased by one last week with the 4th edition (following Best Pictures, Musicals, and Romance) of the 20 Film Collection versions of this series (one can also buy a massive 100 Film Collection set on DVD and a 50 Film Collection on Blu-ray). The new release centers on comedies released by the legendary studio from 1935 (“A Night at the Opera”) to 2009 (“The Hangover”).
DVD Review: ‘Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness’ Won’t Annoy Parents
Submitted by BrianTT on July 3, 2013 - 1:45pmCHICAGO – That headline may seem like ridiculously faint praise. As a parent of two boys who love TV, trust me when I tell you that it’s not. There is some incredibly smart TV aimed at kids — “Adventure Time,” “Phineas & Ferb” — but a lot of it fails to pass the test that you won’t want to jump out a window when your rugrat wants to watch it on repeat. “Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomess,” not unlike another DreamWorks movie-turned-show in “The Penguins of Madagascar,” isn’t as ambitious or clever as the best children’s TV but it’s also far from the bottom of the barrel. It’s reasonably entertaining and if your kid liked “Kung Fu Panda” or “Kung Fu Panda 2,” this first DVD release of the show will more than satisfy.
DVD Review: First Season of Sundance Channel’s Riveting ‘Rectify’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 28, 2013 - 1:43pmCHICAGO – As excellent as the current state of writing is in television, even our best programs often fit neatly into genres. It’s a three-party system — drama, comedy, and reality. And some of our most critically-acclaimed shows are so because of how they play within audience expectations (“Homeland,” “Parks & Recreation”) and not how they push them.
DVD Review: Capture Comedy Genius with ‘No Pryor Restraint: Life in Concert’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 20, 2013 - 2:50pmCHICAGO – One of the most remarkable and influential elements of Richard Pryor’s groundbreaking stand-up comedy was how completely bare he laid himself on stage through his art. He held nothing back. He shared not only jokes but personal stories, including the dark stuff. And so when Shout Factory named their massive tribute to the comedian “Life in Concert,” they got something absolutely right.
DVD Review: ‘It’s a Disaster’ Sadly Lives Up to Its Name
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 19, 2013 - 9:25amCHICAGO – The summer movie season has barely begun, and I’m already sick to death of the apocalypse. It seems to have pervaded every mainstream genre, from action-packed thrillers to raunchy comedies. I’ll take a hilarious mess like “This Is the End” over grim sci-fi junk like “Oblivion” and “After Earth” any day, simply because it delivers its cautionary message with tongue-in-cheek exuberance.
DVD Review: Fifth Season of ‘Breaking Bad’ Stuffed with Extras
Submitted by BrianTT on June 18, 2013 - 5:19pmCHICAGO – Sony knows that AMC’s “Breaking Bad” has one of the most loyal fan bases in television and so have released increasingly impressive Blu-ray and DVD season sets of the Emmy Award-winning program. The latest, the first half of the fifth season that aired in Summer 2012, comes with EIGHT HOURS of special features, including an exclusive scene, deleted scenes, and star-filled commentaries on every single episode. It’s one of the most impressive TV releases of the season for arguably the best show on TV.
DVD Review: Audacious ‘Swimming to Cambodia’ Gets Long-Awaited Release
Submitted by mattmovieman on May 28, 2013 - 8:07amCHICAGO – Moviegoers allergic to copious amounts of talk will be hacking and wheezing minutes into “Swimming to Cambodia.” It’s a cinematically lensed 1987 recording of a show that consists entirely of actor/writer Spalding Gray sitting in a chair telling stories. He’s a vibrant presence and a brilliant wordsmith, but his mouth could literally talk one’s ear into a coma.
DVD Review: ‘Only the Young’ and ‘Tchoupitoulas’ Form Nostalgic Double Bill
Submitted by mattmovieman on May 14, 2013 - 7:32amCHICAGO – With an intelligence typical of its brand, Oscilloscope Laboratories has released two cinema vérité gems on an impeccably matched double bill. One wishes more microbudget features barely clocking in at the feature length mark would receive similar releases. Here’s hoping Joe Swanberg’s “Marriage Material” and Todd Looby’s “Be Good” will one day be available on their own two-disc set.
