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.!—break—>
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Film News: Universal Changes Title of Ron Howard’s ‘What You Don’t Know’ to ‘The Dilemma’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 29, 2010 - 10:49amCHICAGO – After being unofficially named the “Untitled Cheating Project” and “Cheaters,” Universal Pictures told HollywoodChicago.com on Thursday that the official name of Ron Howard’s Chicago-filmed picture has changed from “What You Don’t Know” to “The Dilemma”.
Interviews: George Kennedy, Carol Lynley at the Hollywood Celebrities Show
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 28, 2010 - 11:30amCHICAGO – The 1960s movie stars, captured forever on celluloid in their era, still thrive and survive. At the recent Hollywood Celebrities & Memorabilia Show, Oscar winner George Kennedy (”Cool Hand Luke”) and cult star Carol Lynley (”Bunny Lake is Missing”) spoke about the long time passing 1960s.
Blu-Ray Review: Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart Make ‘The Runaways’ Worthwhile
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 28, 2010 - 10:14amCHICAGO – There’s a great moment early on in “The Runaways” where fifteen-year-old Cherie Currie lip-syncs to Davie Bowie’s “Lady Grinning Soul” at a high school talent show. Her hardened baby face defiantly stares into the crowd, as her peers accompany the performance with catcalls. Yet instead of dissolving into a puddle of girlish tears, Currie flips off the surrounding student body. She clearly doesn’t give a d—n about her bad reputation.
Theater Review: ‘Shrek the Musical’ Still in the Swamp
Submitted by Alissa Norby on July 27, 2010 - 6:01pmCHICAGO – “Fairytales should really be updated,” muses the puckish Shrek during a final plea for the affections of a reluctant princess. It is one of those startlingly honest and quietly irreverent insights that “Shrek the Musical” is all too wary to boast, but is a welcome dagger into the cavalcade of childhood morality tales that, year after year, infiltrate the bulk of shooting star wishes and Barbie dream-houses.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 2 ‘How the Earth Changed History’ DVDs From BBC, National Geographic
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 27, 2010 - 2:39pmCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, we have 2 DVDs up for grabs to the new series “How the Earth Changed History” from BBC and National Geographic!
TV Review: Send Flavorless ‘Masterchef’ Back to the Kitchen
Submitted by BrianTT on July 27, 2010 - 8:10amCHICAGO – Almost laughably trying to blend FOX hits “American Idol” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” the new cooking competition show “Masterchef,” which debuts on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010, is nowhere near as interesting as either and falls ridiculously flat when compared to the excellent “Top Chef.”
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Clash of the Titans’ Remake Lacks Imagination
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 27, 2010 - 7:31amCHICAGO – When a movie named “Clash of the Titans” elicits little more than a shrug and a yawn, it’s clear that something went wrong. There’s nothing in this picture that mainstream audiences haven’t seen last year, last month, or in the theater next door. It is assembled entirely out of recycled parts, lurching from one familiar set-piece to the next, as the heroes repeatedly encounter, in the words of one character, “just another beast to kill.”
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Submit ‘Transformers 3’ Set Pictures From Chicago to Win Movie Passes
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 26, 2010 - 3:38pmCHICAGO – With “Transformers 3” filming now in Chicago (and destroying our Magnificent Mile in the name of blockbuster moviemaking), we’ve seen pictures pop up all across the Web of Michael Bay’s magic in action.
Blu-Ray Review: Fans of ‘The Dark Knight’ Should Check Out ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 26, 2010 - 3:26pmCHICAGO – With easily the darkest subject matter and most intense level of violence to date in the DC Universe series of PG-13 animated film, “Batman: Under the Red Hood” is far from your typical Saturday morning cartoon. This is morally complex material much closed to “The Dark Knight” than “Batman & Robin,” and it’s a smash success for the franchise, resulting in easily the best installment in years.
Video Game Review: Saga of ‘Alan Wake’ Continues With ‘The Signal’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 26, 2010 - 11:07amCHICAGO – Life for Alan Wake continues to be a walking nightmare in “The Signal,” the first of several downloadable chapters designed to lengthen and enhance the experience of one of the most unique and memorable games of 2010 — the mysterious-and-riveting “Alan Wake.”
DVD Review: ‘Entre Nos’ Touchingly Pays Tribute to Motherhood
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 26, 2010 - 10:45amCHICAGO – Some art house films are political polemics disguised as personal stories. “Entre Nos” is not one of them. Though its DVD includes a PSA on immigration reform, and comes packaged with a label exclaiming, “One of Michael Moore’s 20 ‘Best Pictures of 2009,’” the film itself does not have a message to preach. It’s a tale of people rather than ideas, and is all the more effective because of it.
Exclusive Portrait: Natalie Merchant With First Album in Seven Years
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2010 - 6:11pmCHICAGO – Natalie Merchant, formerly the lead singer for 10,000 Maniacs, has come back with a solo album after a seven year hiatus. “Leave Your Sleep” has an unusual theme, as it takes verse from the 19th and 20th Century poets and sets it to music best described as lullabies, written for her daughter.
Interviews: 1970s Movie Stars at the Hollywood Celebrities Show
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2010 - 5:27pmCHICAGO – The 1970s were the golden age for the youthful, angst-ridden style of filmmaking, but it also had its share of fun with James Bond, super bad action films and Burt Reynolds comedies. Richard “Jaws” Kiel, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson and character actor James Hampton experienced that side of the 1970s, and told all at the Hollywood Celebrities & Memorabilia Show.