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.
Alfred Molina
TV Review: David E. Kelley Returns with Effective ‘Monday Mornings’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 4, 2013 - 11:37amCHICAGO – David E. Kelley is one of the most influential and important TV voices of the modern era with massive hits like “L.A. Law,” “Picket Fences,” “Chicago Hope,” “The Practice,” “Ally McBeal,” “Boston Public,” and “Boston Legal”. However, it’s been a few years and a few failures for Kelley in the recent past and he’s overdue for another hit. Maybe it will be TNT’s “Monday Mornings,” premiering tonight and delivering in unexpectedly successful ways.
Blu-ray Review: Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ Films Re-Released in Time For Reboot
Submitted by BrianTT on June 19, 2012 - 12:14pmCHICAGO – Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man,” “Spider-Man 2,” and “Spider-Man 3” were just released on Blu-ray to coincide with the upcoming theatrical release of Mark Webb’s reboot, “The Amazing Spider-Man,” opening in theaters on July 3, 2012. All of the Sony BD releases are pretty standard although purists will like the consistent packaging and the chance to own them at a low price point (close to $10 at some outlets) before they’re probably repackaged again when “Amazing” hits Blu-ray in time for the holidays. None of the releases include any notable new special features (other than the inclusion of Ultraviolet and some games on the first film) but they all included a wealth of them in previous editions.
TV Review: TNT’s ‘Scott Turow’s Innocent’ Deserves Prosecution
Submitted by BrianTT on November 29, 2011 - 12:41pmCHICAGO – With the success of mystery shows like “C.S.I.” and “The Mentalist,” why not try and bring back a staple of the ’70s and ’80s TV scene, the mystery movie of the week? Such is the thinking behind TNT’s programmers, as the network will debut a whopping four stand-alone mystery movies in the next month, starting with tonight’s debut of “Scott Turow’s Innocent,” starring Bill Pullman, Marcia Gay Harden, Alfred Molina, and Richard Schiff. Despite the stellar cast, this is a limp, dull effort that will only serve to remind viewers why they don’t make TV movies like this often any more.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Pairs of Chicago Passes to Digitally Restored ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on November 17, 2011 - 1:12amCHICAGO – We agree that it’s sometimes exploitative to re-release a hit film from long, long ago so a studio can newly bloat previously fat wallets.
Film Review: Taylor Lautner Stars in Silly, Ineffective ‘Abduction’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 23, 2011 - 3:21pmCHICAGO – After the success of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” Taylor Lautner could have taken any number of paths to breakout with his own star vehicle. He chose to try and fashion himself into an action star, appearing in this weekend’s “Abduction” as a young man discovering he has a very special past.
TV Review: Star-Powered, Clever Season Premiere of ‘Harry’s Law’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 21, 2011 - 2:14pmCHICAGO – I had serious issues with the series premiere of NBC’s “Harry’s Law” earlier this year and some of those problems remain with the second-season premiere but there’s a reason that the first line of tonight’s episode is “Good morning, Harry — Our new beginning.” With a pair of mega-talented guest stars plus two great new permanent additions, “Harry’s Law” is significantly improved in season two. Everyone is going to be watching “The X Factor” tonight but those that stray to NBC should be pleasantly surprised by the first episode of this clever multi-part storyline.
Blu-Ray Review: Johnny Depp Gets Animated in Confident ‘Rango’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 25, 2011 - 11:58amCHICAGO – There’s a rare level of artistic confidence in “Rango” that we usually don’t see outside of Pixar. What I mean by that is that SO many animated flicks that I have to suffer through in a calendar year are trying to appease a marketing plan, a producer, a focus group, etc. “Rango,” while being a bit overrated by some, is undeniably unique in its vision and trying only to appease that creativity. It’s an occasionally inspired film that looks stunning in HD and is accompanied by some stellar special features.
TV Review: ‘Law & Order: Los Angeles’ Goes Through Cast Overhaul
Submitted by BrianTT on April 11, 2011 - 8:58amCHICAGO – The revolving door of Dick Wolf’s legendary creation keeps on spinning. Cast members have come and gone from the “Law & Order” franchise for years, but this time the door only goes in one direction as Skeet Ulrich’s Detective is being killed off with no chance to return.
Film Review: Johnny Depp Spins Animation Gold in Hilarious ‘Rango’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 4, 2011 - 3:50pmCHICAGO – When we first see the chameleon named Lars (Johnny Depp), soon to be ‘Rango,’ he is doing acting voice exercises. He is basically warming up a film that is a real hoot, and has wonderful heart.
TV Review: ‘Law & Order: Los Angeles’ Has Good Cast, But Needs Better Scripts
Submitted by BrianTT on September 29, 2010 - 9:41amCHICAGO – With memories of the stalwart “Law & Order” still resonant, NBC and Dick Wolf have packed up their bags and headed to the west coast for “Law & Order: Los Angeles.”