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
TV Review: ‘Castle’ Returns With Same Strengths, Flaws
Submitted by BrianTT on September 20, 2010 - 8:08amCHICAGO – The best thing about the third-season premiere of the consistently-entertaining “Castle” may be that they’ve finally taken that stupid “Turner & Hooch” line out of the introduction to the hit mystery show. Other than that, the show pretty much picks up where it left off with two of the most charismatic stars on television often disguising the fact that the writing doesn’t live up to their talents.
TV Review: FOX’s ‘Lone Star’ Features Charismatic Cast, Intriguing Premise
Submitted by BrianTT on September 20, 2010 - 8:02amCHICAGO – In a world where it’s becoming increasingly difficult for many people to hold one job or keep together one family, it’s not hard to see audiences entertained by watching a man try to juggle two of each.
DVD Review: ‘The Exploding Girl’ Provides Great Showcase For Zoe Kazan
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 19, 2010 - 10:24pmCHICAGO – At a time when many so-called independent film distributors are following the mold of mainstream companies, Oscilloscope Pictures is a breath of exhilaratingly fresh air. Its films range from electrifying shoestring documentaries like “Dear Zachary” and priceless foreign imports like “Kisses” to major award season contenders such as “The Messenger” and “Wendy and Lucy.”
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 Chicago Passes to ‘Freakonomics’ From ‘Super Size Me’ Makers
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 19, 2010 - 5:59pmCHICAGO – In our latest documentary edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 10 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes up for grabs to the new film “Freakonomics” from a dream team of Oscar- and Sundance Film Festival-winning directors!
TV Review: NBC’s ‘The Event’ Lives Up to Mysterious Title
Submitted by BrianTT on September 19, 2010 - 4:07pmCHICAGO – Don’t tune in to the premiere of NBC’s “The Event” expecting answers to that oppressively-advertised question of what the title refers to, although the producers have made clear that it won’t be long before we know.
TV Review: New Version of ‘Hawaii Five-0’ Books a Fine Reworking
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 19, 2010 - 10:59amCHICAGO – Describing Steve McGarrett’s new resume, the Governor of Hawaii intones, “Annapolis, five years Naval Intelligence, six years in the Seals…the best they’ve ever seen.” Immediately this is not your Daddy’s Five-0. Alex O’Louglin is McGarrett and Scott Caan is Danno in CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0,” debuting Monday, September 20th, 2010, at 9pm CST.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: Ultimate Collector’s Edition’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 19, 2010 - 10:55amCHICAGO – One of the most-beloved films of arguably the most important period in film history hits Blu-ray this week in a lavish “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” courtesy of the studio that does this kind of thing better than anyone else. With unique physical collectibles to go with great special features and a new HD transfer of the 35-year-old film, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” has lost none of its power.
Blu-Ray Review: Stellar Release For Second Season of FOX’s ‘Fringe’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 19, 2010 - 10:25amCHICAGO – When the second season of “Fringe” premiered, I wrote, “If any show is going to go from mildly popular to breakout hit in its second season, I expect it will be “Fringe”.” While that certainly didn’t happen in terms of ratings (the show actually dropped 2.5 million viewers from its weekly average), the critical and cultural buzz around the series has grown. It feels more and more like “Fringe” is the current show that’s beloved by those who watch it even if it’s looking less likely to break through to a wider demographic.
Film Review: Ben Affleck’s ‘The Town’ Proves ‘Gone Baby Gone’ Wasn’t Beginner’s Luck
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 18, 2010 - 6:26pmCHICAGO – Only three years since the Chicago Film Critics Association awarded Ben Affleck as our most promising filmmaker, he’s back in the director’s seat a second time with “The Town”.
TV Review: Martin Scorsese’s Riveting ‘Boardwalk Empire’ With Steve Buscemi
Submitted by BrianTT on September 18, 2010 - 1:59pmCHICAGO – Is there any lingering doubt that we are in the golden age of television? If you need further proof of the remarkable breadth of the genre in 2010, look no further than HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” an amazing new dramatic series courtesy of one of cinema’s masters (Martin Scorsese) and one of television’s (“The Sopranos” veteran Terence Winter).
Film Review: Low Grade on Report Card For ‘Easy A’ With Emma Stone
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 18, 2010 - 7:44amCHICAGO - “Easy A” is simply a hard film to swallow. Set in a high school on another planet, it wants everything and ends up giving very little. The cast is game - Emma Stone, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow - but with few exceptions the players cannot handle the lead balloon banter that passes for jokey dialogue. It wants also to be a grand statement on gossip and those who get hurt by it, but perky Stone doesn’t seem that affected.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Chicago Passes to ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ With Michael Douglas
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 18, 2010 - 3:25amCHICAGO – In our latest drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new Oliver Stone film “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” with Michael Douglas and Shia LaBeouf!
Film Review: ‘Heartbreaker’ Makes Romantic Comedy Look Effortless
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 17, 2010 - 7:38amCHICAGO – If there’s one genre Hollywood has managed to screw up beyond all recognition, it’s the romantic comedy. Many of the worst films in recent years have brought the genre to an all-time low, such as “Leap Year,” “Love Happens,” and anything starring Gerard Butler. These dumbed-down products use stereotypes in place of characters, incessant sparring in place of chemistry and gooey sentiment in place of a tangible heart.
