CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Painful, Depressing ‘Must Read After My Death’ Window Into the Dark Side of Family
Submitted by BrianTT on February 17, 2009 - 7:00pmCHICAGO – If someone had a recording of the dissolution of a seemingly perfect family, would you listen? What would you learn from it? You can test your answer to these questions with the riveting “Must Read After My Death,” a fly-on-the-wall documentary using only silent home movies and audio recordings of a family in steep, depressing decline.
Preview For Michael Bay’s ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ With Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox
Submitted by BrianTT on February 17, 2009 - 4:40pmCHICAGO – The new preview for what is sure to be one of the biggest movies of 2009, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” debuted online this week and is featured below. The film stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson. It is directed by Michael Bay.
Video Game Review: PlayStation Network’s ‘Flower’ Challenges Gaming Expectations
Submitted by BrianTT on February 17, 2009 - 4:19pm Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – To play the mesmerizing, addictive “Flower,” the latest downloadable game available on the Playstation Network, gamers will have to leave their typical expectations on what constitutes a “typical game” behind. With wave after wave of FPS variations dominating the market, it’s refreshing to experience a title so creatively conceived and expertly designed.
Blu-Ray Round Up, Feb. 17, 2009: ‘Amadeus,’ ‘Boondock Saints,’ ‘A History of Violence’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 17, 2009 - 3:04pmCHICAGO – A Best Picture winner that looks nowhere near as old as many of the films that came out a quarter-century ago with it, a recent masterpiece from David Cronenberg that probably should have been more recognized by Oscar, and a little film that was never on the Academy’s radar but has developed an insanely huge and loyal cult following.
Video: DVD Trailer For Nicolas Cage’s ‘Knowing’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 16, 2009 - 4:12pmCHICAGO – The studio for the new Nicolas Cage film “Knowing” has provided to HollywoodChicago.com the DVD trailer for the movie, which also stars Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, Ben Mendelsohn, Nadia Townsend and Adrienne Pickering.
DVD Review: ‘Clint Eastwood: American Icon Collection’ Includes Four Diverse Films
Submitted by BrianTT on February 16, 2009 - 3:00pm DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With the $130 million gross and counting for “Gran Torino,” Clint Eastwood has proven that his star power has not diminished in the slightest even with 50 years in show business under his belt.
DVD Review: Greg Kinnear’s Feel-Good ‘Flash of Genius’ Not Great
Submitted by BrianTT on February 16, 2009 - 1:17pm DVD Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Greg Kinnear does solidly entertaining work in “Flash of Genius” and director Marc Abraham understands the basics of the inspirational crowd-pleaser, but the film ultimately feels like a missed opportunity to tell a more riveting version of the same story.
Blu-Ray Review: Shockingly High Levels of Melodrama Sink ‘Nights in Rodanthe’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 16, 2009 - 12:15pm Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I have a very high threshold for melodramatic romance. I was raised on cheesy musicals and will admit to pausing on the underrated “The Notebook” more than once when I pass it on cable.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 75 Admit-Two Passes to Chicago Screening of ‘Fired Up’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 15, 2009 - 1:35amCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 75 admit-two passes up for grabs to the Chicago screening of “Fired Up,” which stars Nicholas D’Agosto, Eric Christian Olsen, Sarah Roemer, AnnaLynne McCord (who auditioned for the “Twilight” sequel “New Moon”) and Molly Sims.
TV Review: ‘The Amazing Race’ on CBS Begins 14th Race Around the World
Submitted by BrianTT on February 13, 2009 - 2:46pm 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 - 1:27pm 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 - 10:56pmCHICAGO – 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 - 10:54pmCHICAGO – 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.
