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 Arts & Entertainment News
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Austin Powers Collection’ Asks You to Behave
Submitted by BrianTT on December 11, 2008 - 12:13pmCHICAGO – There wouldn’t be a second and third “Austin Powers” movie if it wasn’t for the massive success of the first film on Home Video, so it seems appropriate that all three have been released in a Blu-Ray box set called the “Shagadelic Edition: Loaded with Extra Mojo” but Warner Brothers missed an opportunity to do anything more than a technical upgrade.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Dark Knight’ Excels Technically But Misses Special Features
Submitted by BrianTT on December 10, 2008 - 6:32pmCHICAGO – The most highly anticipated movie of the summer was also the most highly anticipated Blu-Ray release of the year and that was before the film had even hit theaters. The hype paid off in critical acclaim and commercial success, and audiences should be satisfied with “The Dark Knight” on Blu-Ray, if not quite as blown away as they were at the multiplex.
DC Universe Releases Images, Premiere Details For ‘Wonder Woman’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 10, 2008 - 12:55pmCHICAGO – Warner Brothers announced this week that their fourth original DC Universe animated original film, “Wonder Woman”, will debut at the New York Comic Con in February and sent along a couple of brand new images to get audiences excited.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ One of Most Extensive Releases of Season
Submitted by BrianTT on December 10, 2008 - 9:59amCHICAGO – “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” may have fallen flat at the box office this summer but it is sure to be a gigantic hit on Blu-Ray this holiday season. Not only are the words “family Disney movie” practically a license to print money around this time of year, but this studio has been one of the frontrunners in the race for the best at making Blu-Ray.
DVD Review: Criterion Release of Lars von Trier’s ‘Europa’ Hypnotizes
Submitted by BrianTT on December 10, 2008 - 9:48amCHICAGO – Lars von Trier opens his brilliant “Europa” by literally trying to hypnotize his audience. A barely lit train track moves slowly across the screen as Max von Sydow calmly incants a hypnotizing speech and countdown. “On the count of ten, you will be in Europa.” Is he speaking to the audience or to the man who just appeared on the screen when he says, “You are in Germany. The year is 1945.”?
DVD, Blu-Ray Round Up, Dec. 9, 2008: ‘Jet Li’s Fearless,’ ‘Man on Wire,’ ‘Swingtown’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 9, 2008 - 11:37amCHICAGO – Every week there are a few titles that fall through the cracks. They’re movies or TV shows that don’t really merit the kind of comprehensive coverage of something like “Lost: Season Four” or “Deadwood: The Complete Series”.
Blu-Ray Review: Original ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ Stands Test of Time
Submitted by BrianTT on December 9, 2008 - 8:29amCHICAGO – Fifty-seven years after the original cautionary tale became a sci-fi classic, director Scott Derrickson and stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly are returning to the big screen with a remake of “The Day the Earth Stood Still”.
Exclusive: Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg Offers Sneak Peek of ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ in Chicago
Submitted by BrianTT on December 8, 2008 - 5:07pmCHICAGO – Jeffrey Katzenberg stopped off in Chicago on the morning of Monday, December 8th, to preview DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” and show off the brand-spanking-new 3D technology that will be used for all upcoming animated films produced by the studio.
DVD Review: HBO Bids Farewell to ‘Deadwood,’ ‘The Wire’ With Series Sets
Submitted by BrianTT on December 8, 2008 - 3:05pmCHICAGO – “Deadwood” and “The Wire”, two of the best television programs of the last decade, have been given lavish, must-own treatment by HBO with spectacular season sets available just in time for the holidays.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Lost: Season Four’ With Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly Worth Finding on Blu-Ray
Submitted by BrianTT on December 8, 2008 - 2:54pmCHICAGO – Rivaling “24” and “The Simpsons” as the TV series with the most in-depth, remarkable season DVD sets, “Lost” continues to impress with the Blu-Ray release of season four, a technically flawless presentation with a series of unique special features that should impress casual fans and make the hardcore ones drool.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’ Satisfies Fans More Than in Theaters
Submitted by BrianTT on December 8, 2008 - 1:26pmCHICAGO – “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” was an unqualified disaster in theaters. One of the worst movies of 2008, the film downplayed the strengths of the first few seasons of the influential series and emphasized the weaknesses of the show’s ignominious end.
Heath Ledger Wins First ‘The Dark Knight’ Award From Australian Film Institute
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 7, 2008 - 4:57pmCHICAGO – With the 80th-annual Academy Awards set for Feb. 22, 2009 and Oscar nominations to be announced on Jan. 22, 2009, the late actor Heath Ledger on Saturday was awarded his first acting honor from the Australian Film Institute (AFI) for his supporting role as The Joker in “The Dark Knight”. Australia is his home country.
Exclusive Portrait: Fashion Icon Jessica Simpson in Chicago For New ‘Fancy’ Fragrance
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 7, 2008 - 3:50pmCHICAGO – Singer, actress and fashion icon Jessica Simpson sports a fancy greeting for the HollywoodChicago.com lens on Dec. 6, 2008 at the launch of her new “Fancy” fragrance at Macy’s on State Street in downtown Chicago.
