CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
TV Review: ‘The Amazing Race’ on CBS Begins 14th Race Around the World
Submitted by BrianTT on February 13, 2009 - 3:46pm Television Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For six years there has been an Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Competition Program and for every one of those years the same show has walked home with the trophy, beating series like “Project Runway,” “Survivor,” and “American Idol”. That show is “The Amazing Race”. Based on the strength of the premiere, it seems likely the producers of this CBS mainstay should probably make room for Emmy #7.
TV Review: Premiere of Joss Whedon’s ‘Dollhouse’ Imperfect But Intriguing
Submitted by BrianTT on February 13, 2009 - 2:27pm Television Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A friend of mine suggested that I need to be patient regarding Joss Whedon’s highly anticipated “Dollhouse,” starring Eliza Dushku, Olivia Williams, Amy Acker, and Harry Lennix. Watching the so-so premiere, “Ghost,” airing Friday, February 13th, 2009 at 8pm CST, it’s easy to see why. All the ingredients are there for a riveting, fantastic series, but it feels like a show still finding its way.
Lack of Originality, Actual Scares Render Marcus Nispel’s ‘Friday the 13th’ Ineffective
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 11:56pmCHICAGO – Your reaction to Marcus Nispel’s “Friday the 13th” is likely to depend on how nostalgically you remember the original and how you reacted to producer Michael Bay’s “remakes” of “The Amityville Horror,” “The Hitcher,” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.
Clive Owen, Naomi Watts Fail to Save Deadly Dull ‘The International’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 11:54pmCHICAGO – Tom Tykwer’s “The International,” an alleged thriller starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, is one of the most surprisingly inert films so far this year, an awfully written conspiracy flick that never gets out of neutral and is only remotely worth someday seeing for one fantastic action sequence.
TV Review: Danny McBride Delivers Comedy Heat With HBO’s ‘Eastbound & Down’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 7:40pmTelevision Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Danny McBride had an amazing 2008, stealing scenes in “Tropic Thunder” and finding comic gold with director David Gordon Green in the great “Pineapple Express”. McBride, Green, director Jody Hill, and producer Will Ferrell have teamed up for the six-episode HBO comedy series “Eastbound & Down,” one of the most laugh-out-loud, promising comedy premieres in a long time.
Blu-Ray Review: Clint Eastwood’s ‘Changeling’ Features Great Performance By Angelina Jolie
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 1:49pm Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I usually don’t agree with suggestions that certain movies need to be seen twice to be appreciated. If a movie doesn’t work on first viewing, then it simply doesn’t work. Having said that, watching Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling” a second time on Blu-Ray made me appreciate the final product significantly more than my disappointed reaction to it in theaters.
DVD Review: ‘Blindness’ With Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo Should Not Be Widely Seen
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 12:51pm DVD Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Blindness” is one of the bleakest cinematic experiences of the last few years, shocking, violent, dirty, headache-inducing proof that what works on the page doesn’t always on the big or small screen and that even the most talented actors and director can sometimes stumble.
TV Review: One of the Best Reality Shows Returns With ‘Survivor: Tocantins’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 11:53amTelevision Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The 18th installment of the show that really started it all with reality television, “Survivor,” debuts Thursday, February 12th, 2009 with the promise of another season of backstabbing, infighting, and immunity challenges.
Reasons For Director’s Departure From ‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘New Moon’ Revealed
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 10:41amCHICAGO – Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the original “Twilight,” revealed to Entertainment Weekly this week that she walked away from the highly anticipated sequel “New Moon” because the film was going to be shot under too short a deadline and with too many budget constraints.
Blu-Ray Review: Cult of ‘Donnie Darko’ Extends to Two-Disc Director’s Cut
Submitted by BrianTT on February 11, 2009 - 6:53pm Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Most movies come and go. Even some of the most critically and commercially acclaimed films of the last few years have essentially been forgotten already. I knew Richard Kelly’s “Donnie Darko” was a film that was not going to go away quickly the first time I saw it and the Blu-Ray “Director’s Cut” simply extends the shelf life of this riveting cult classic.
DVD Review: ‘60 Minutes Presents Obama: All Access - Barack Obama’s Road to the White House’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 11, 2009 - 4:04pm DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The first “60 Minutes”-branded DVD from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment is the surprisingly comprehensive account of the last two years of President Barack Obama’s life, “Obama: All Access - Barack Obama’s Road to the White House,” a great DVD for political junkies, historians, news fans, and everyone in between.
Blu-Ray Review: Spike Lee’s ‘Miracle at St. Anna’ Disappoints in Every Way
Submitted by BrianTT on February 11, 2009 - 3:23pm Blu-Ray Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a great film to be made about the African-American experience during World War II. Spike Lee’s “Miracle at St. Anna” is not that film and the below average Blu-Ray of it should make this once highly-anticipated epic one of the more easily forgettable releases of the month.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 4 Passes to See All 5 Best-Picture Oscar Nominees in One Day
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 11, 2009 - 2:06amCHICAGO – We are pleased to announce what’s nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film opportunity: the chance for four lucky winners to see all five 2009 best-picture Oscar nominees (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Milk,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon” and “The Reader”) in one glorious Chicago day.
