Jackie Earle Haley

CHICAGO – The creation of new worlds has always been a mainstay of the cinema, virtually since it was invented. And whether you love or are indifferent to the films of James Cameron (“Titanic”), he remains one of the prime movers in advancing the creative tools of films. His influence is all over “Alita: Battle Angel.”

CHICAGO – Nobody does good vs. evil archetypes like author Stephen King, and this framework is purposeful in the film adaptation of King’s “The Dark Tower.” The popular book series gets a visual kick through the rendering of director Nikolaj Arcel and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the “Olympus Has Fallen” sequel “London Has Fallen” starring Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart!

CHICAGO – “Breaking Away,” the classic Oscar-winning film of 1979, will be shown on the big screen at Studio Movie Grill in Wheaton, Ill. – on Wednesday, September 24th, 2014, at 7:30pm (click on the link below to purchase tickets). It will be hosted by Film Critic Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.

CHICAGO – You get the sense that a writer for the new “RoboCop” felt very proud of himself when he coined the cheeky word “robophobic” as a play on a current cultural hot button. The Samuel L. Jackson moment of self-fulfilled glory reminded me of the rest of the plot that was missing.

CHICAGO – Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” is one of the most inconsistent and frustrating major films in a long time. There are elements here and there that work but Burton and writer Seth Grahame-Smith seem incapable of figuring out how to wrangle them into a coherent, successful film.

CHICAGO – FOX’s action series “Human Target” returns tonight, November 17th, 2010, hoping to find the larger audience that didn’t really show up to the party in season one.

CHICAGO – The irony of Samuel Bayer’s remake of the Wes Craven classic, “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” is that most viewers will have more trouble staying awake than combatting actual fear. The saddest thing about this failed effort is that it could tarnish the reputation of Wes Craven’s brilliant original for a new generation. Ignore the new film. Just go rent the original.

CHICAGO – After realizing that “Human Target” was not going to be their next “24,” FOX has moved the program to Friday nights, starting November 17th, where it could easily reside as a guilty pleasure for years to come. The program is a throwback to the action series escapism of the 1980s but with modern production values that make it a very-enjoyable thrill ride in HD. It’s not going to win awards or change the TV landscape, but it works on its own terms.

CHICAGO – I firmly believe that the detractors of Martin Scorsese’s amazing “Shutter Island” will deny they ever criticized this masterful thriller when it was first released. History will be very kind to this dizzying trip through a cinematic funhouse led by arguably our best living filmmaker, but one would never guess it from Paramount’s purely average Blu-ray release.