Maria Bello

CHICAGO – John Wells has been one of the most important voices in television for the last two decades, shepherding “Third Watch,” “The West Wing,” “ER,” “Southland,” “Shameless,” and many more. It’s always hit-and-miss when a talent from one medium jumps to another and such is the case with “The Company Men,” starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Maria Bello, and Kevin Costner. The great cast keeps it together and Wells has a keen ear for dialogue but the film never develops beyond a timely character study.

CHICAGO – The family unit, now in a constant battle with technology, changing morality and a fracturing social structure, comes under psychological siege in the mortally sad but ultimately compelling “Beautiful Boy,” featuring Maria Bello and Michael Sheen.

CHICAGO – In our latest drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Beautiful Boy” with Oscar nominee Michael Sheen and Maria Bello!

CHICAGO – Nowhere near as abysmal as some of Adam Sandler’s worst comedies and yet also not nearly as good as it could or should have been, “Grown Ups” might make a reasonable rental on a late fall evening but don’t get your expectations too high. Sandler may be trying to grow up with his comedy friends but a lazy script and horrendous direction by regular collaborator Dennis Dugan hold back what should have been one of the stronger comedy ensembles of the year.

CHICAGO – It may be called “Grown Ups,” but too much of the new Adam Sandler ensemble comedy feels like it was written by an eight-year-old boy. The believable friendship chemistry that Sandler has with co-stars Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider significantly ups the entertainment value, but “Grown Ups” could have and should have been much better.

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Kurt McKenzie (Chris Rock), Marcus Higgins (David Spade), Eric Lamonsoff (Kevin James), Lenny Feder (Adam Sandler) and Rob Hilliard (Rob Schneider).

CHICAGO – This 35-image slideshow contains all of the official press images for the highly anticipated “Grown Ups,” starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph. The film was written by Sandler & Fred Wolf and directed by Dennis Dugan. It will be released on June 25th, 2010.

CHICAGO – Is there anything more damaging to an actor’s performance than a Botox needle? It’s heartbreaking to see faces that were once so expressive become stiff and embalmed. Robin Wright is living proof that a naturally older appearance is infinitely preferable to a synthetically younger one. Her face has only gotten better with age, and has rarely been used to more mesmerizing effect than in “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.”

CHICAGO – The divide between the quality of a film itself and the Blu-Ray presentation it has been given has arguably never been wider than with Universal’s “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”. The special features are as comprehensive as any released this over-crowded holiday season and the transfer is one of Universal’s best of the year but the film itself is a complete disaster, one of the most excruciating theatrical releases of 2008.

CHICAGO – The threequel that culminates with “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” is so hackneyed that even the main star of the previous two films – Brendan Fraser – wasn’t enough to sell audiences on a third return. Universal Studios needed to enlist co-star Jet Li to stand a fighting chance and take the mood the Asian way.