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
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 3 Pairs of Billy Idol, Slash Tickets at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 1, 2010 - 3:02pmCHICAGO – In this edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Music, we have three pairs of tickets up for grabs to see Billy Idol perform at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre with special guests Slash, Steve Stevens and Myles Kennedy!
Film Review: George Clooney Does it Italian Style in ‘The American’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 1, 2010 - 7:54amCHICAGO – What if the most dangerous and pursued assassin in the world began to develop a flaw in his delivery, due to the vulnerability of simple human contact? Where does religion, carnality and love fit in that connection? George Clooney plays that assassin-type in “The American,” holed up for one more job, the job that might answer both of those questions.
DVD Review: Fine Cast Adds Substance to Contrived ‘City Island’
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 1, 2010 - 7:39amCHICAGO – There are many reasons why “City Island” shouldn’t work. It’s entirely contrived, from one end of the script to the other. Every gargantuan misunderstanding in the film has been spawned by festering lies, the kind that sitcoms have thrived on since the beginning of television. Yet what works in a 23-minute TV sketch often becomes tedious and exasperating when stretched to feature length.
Video Game Review: Gorgeous World of ‘Mafia II’ Still Feels Empty
Submitted by BrianTT on August 31, 2010 - 7:52pmCHICAGO – It is not uncommon for major awards season contenders in the world of film to come off more like very expensive paintings with all the right visual flourishes and technical elements but lacking the soul or the heart to make them truly effective. It happens every year. 2K Games’ “Mafia II” is the equivalent in the world of gaming.
Interview: Oscar Winner Rita Moreno on Her Life in America
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 31, 2010 - 7:35pmCHICAGO – The former Rosa Dolores Alverio, better known to audiences as Rita Moreno, has had a glorious and tempestuous journey through life and show business. One of her most notable roles is as Anita, the fiery friend of Maria in the film version of “West Side Story,” in which Moreno stops the show with the song “America.”
Interview: Director Nanette Burstein is ‘Going the Distance’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 31, 2010 - 11:52amCHICAGO – Nanette Burstein, known mostly for her excellent documentaries “The Kid Stays in the Picture” and “American Teen,” makes her narrative feature film director debut with the comedy “Going the Distance,” with Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate and Jim Gaffigan.
Blu-Ray Review: John Cassavetes Dazzles in ‘Machine Gun McCain’
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 31, 2010 - 8:51amCHICAGO – It’s pretty hard for contemporary audiences to look at a title like “Machine Gun McCain,” and not immediately make a political joke out of it. The most obvious one would be, “What’s the sequel called, “‘Pistol-Packing Palin’?” Of course, this minor cult classic came out long before the 2008 election, and was playing in theaters at the same time John McCain was being held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
DVD Review: Diminishing Returns Hamper French Sequel ‘OSS 117: Lost in Rio’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 30, 2010 - 8:21pmCHICAGO – Like most people who were lucky enough to see it, I thoroughly enjoyed the clever comedy “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.” With a spectacular lead performance by Jean Dujardin, the film was a clever riff on spy movies that played not unlike a French Austin Powers but with the added twist that the title character was actually one pulled directly from ’60s spy movies. Imagine if James Bond went away for four decades and was rebooted as a satire of his sexist, racist, and generally stupid persona.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season’ Returns Series to Top Form
Submitted by BrianTT on August 30, 2010 - 4:53pmCHICAGO – Long past the point when most thought it would be canceled, “The Simpsons” moved into its thirteenth season in the fall of 2001, not quite as clever or culturally relevant as at its peak but still funnier than a lot of television of its time. The first season of “The Simpsons” on Blu-ray with the same caliber of special features as the majority of releases for the most influential cartoon of all time returns the series to the must-buy form it lost with the disappointing “The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season.”
‘Modern Family,’ ‘Mad Men’ Lead Emmy Award Winners as Best Comedy, Drama
Submitted by BrianTT on August 29, 2010 - 10:13pmCHICAGO – Jimmy Fallon brought his increasingly impressive wit to the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night, August 29th, 2010, at which AMC’s “Mad Men” and ABC’s “Modern Family” were the big winners with Eric Stonestreet, Jane Lynch, Jim Parsons, Edie Falco, Aaron Paul, Archie Panjabi, Bryan Cranston, and Kyra Sedgwick walking away with the major awards.
Film Review: Riveting ‘The Last Exorcism’ Burns Its Way Under Your Skin
Submitted by BrianTT on August 29, 2010 - 10:50amCHICAGO – Working from inspirations as diverse as “The Exorcist” and Lars Von Trier, Daniel Stamm’s “The Last Exorcism” is one of the most interesting and accomplished horror debuts of the last few years. The final act gets a bit predictably messy but the fascinating slow burn of the first two more than makes up for any stumbling near the finish line.
Film Review: Excellent Young Actors Carry Rob Reiner’s Nostalgic ‘Flipped’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 29, 2010 - 10:22am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Rob Reiner’s “Flipped” is not merely nostalgic for an era when life seemed simpler and sweeter but for an age when every minor detail meant the world and love was as simple as looking into the eyes of a new neighbor. We all remember the days when the smallest act of kindness or meanness changed everything and, thanks to two very strong central performances, “Flipped” captures the essence of those times in a gentle, sentimental romance.
Film Reviews: ‘Around a Small Mountain,’ ‘Vengeance,’ ‘Valhalla Rising’ Play Siskel Film Center
Submitted by BrianTT on August 27, 2010 - 4:51pmCHICAGO – With the last days of August remaining, the dreaded days of post-summer dreck are upon us, with studios dumping some of their least promising products into theaters, while making way for the approaching Oscar season.
