Anchor Bay

CHICAGO – Starz’s hit “Spartacus: Vengeance” was designed for Blu-ray collectors. With the program’s emphasis on striking visuals, watching it in a quality any lesser than 1080p would be a crime. And Anchor Bay understands the cable hit they have on their hands and have given the show one of the most impressive HD transfers of the crowded TV-on-Blu-ray season and loaded it down with special features. There’s only one season of “Spartacus” left on Starz. Catch up with this 3-disc set before it premieres.

CHICAGO – A quick search of the web will reveal hundreds of articles and blog posts and message board rants about how the smash hit “The Hunger Games,” both the Suzanne Collins book and Gary Ross movie, wouldn’t exist without Kinji Fukasaku’s amazing 2000 film “Battle Royale” (itself based on a 1999 Japanese book).

Rating: 2.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Director Dito Montiel and star Channing Tatum were once tagged with the label of the hot new debut artistic partnership. 2006’s great “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” introduced both men to the world and it felt like it could be the calling card for a creative team to someday rival Scorsese & De Niro. Tatum reunited with Montiel on the disappointing “Fighting” and their latest venture, “The Son of No One,” while an improvement on Montiel’s sophomore slump, is nonetheless another misfire.

CHICAGO – There was a time when the union of two actors as accomplished as Robert De Niro and Edward Norton would make movie news headlines. And, to be fair, John Curran’s “Stone” was chosen to open the Chicago Internation Film Festival in large part due to the pedigree of its stars. But viewers are smarter than they used to be. They know now that a movie’s success is not solely dependent on the talent of its leads. And while De Niro and Norton are two of our best actors (and they are amply supported by two great female turns as well), “Stone” just doesn’t work.

CHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, we have three prize packs up for grabs of unrated and signed DVDs from Anchor Bay in anticipation of the upcoming non-MPAA-approved release “I Spit on Your Grave: Unrated,” which opens in Chicago on Oct. 8, 2010!

CHICAGO – Is Adam Green the next great horror director? There are many fans of the genre who love to make the case of the current-and-future importance of Green, pointing to films like “Frozen,” “Spiral,” and, most of all, “Hatchet” as their evidence. To some, including this horror junkie, the jury is still out. Watching Green’s breakthrough film, now available on Blu-ray, it’s easy to see what people adore about Green and what he still needs to work on.

CHICAGO – Loyal readers will know that I am often forgiving of bad horror films merely due to my love for the genre but there’s nothing that can save “After.Life” from the company of the worst movies of 2010. The copious nudity from Christina Ricci and the admittedly interesting premise may draw those who haven’t seen it to this monumentally stupid film but prepare to lose a few brain cells in the process.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Some 1970’s and 1980’s horror movies have lost their luster. Have you seen the original “Fog” lately? Any of the “Friday the 13th” sequels? As much as I love it, even “A Nightmare on Elm Street” looks its age. Not “Hellraiser”. Clive Barker’s twisted journey into the world of desire and darkness has all the power it did over twenty years ago and now you can see for yourself in HD.