Meryl Streep

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Julie & Julia’ an Appetizer in Need of a Main Course

Julie and Julia Blu-Ray

CHICAGO – 2009 has been a year of supremely underwhelming biopics, primarily because Hollywood has bent over backwards to make them marketable. You’d think that the idea of Meryl Streep playing Julia Child, or Morgan Freeman playing Nelson Mandela, or uncanny newcomer Christian McKay playing Orson Welles would be enough to sell a picture.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Mamma Mia! The Movie’ Given Gift Set Treatment

Mamma Mia

CHICAGO – It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Blu-Ray and DVD collectors. Every holiday season, studios pull out their most beloved films, polish up the picture, maybe add a special feature or two, and usually throw in a few collectibles for a gift set.

2009 Universal Fall Picture Preview: ‘It’s Complicated,’ ‘Couples Retreat,’ More

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(L to R) Crepsley (John C. Reilly) introduces Darren (Chris Massoglia) to a new world in Cirque Du Freak. Credit: David Lee.

CHICAGO – This 17-image slideshow contains the official press images for the Fall/Winter schedule from Universal Pictures including “Love Happens,” “Couples Retreat,” “Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant,” The Fourth Kind,” and “It’s Complicated.”

‘Julie & Julia’ Misses Some Ingredients But Still Goes Down Smoothly

Julie & Julia
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Like a long meal at a good restaurant where no one can agree on the best course of the evening, Nora Ephron’s “Julie & Julia” with Amy Adams and Meryl Streep will have different highlights for different viewers.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Doubt’ Spotlights Spectacular Performances in HD

Doubt
HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The history of films to score four acting Oscar nominations would make for a very short list. And yet most critics knew the rare set of nods was inevitable when they saw the quartet of talent on display in John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt”. Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis shine in “Doubt,” now available on Blu-Ray.

Interview: From Central Falls to Oscar With Viola Davis of ‘Doubt’

CHICAGO – Having met Viola Davis, Oscar-nominated for “Doubt,” it’s easy to believe that people who have spent time with this charming, fascinating woman might be more inclined to give her the edge in the very close Best Supporting Actress race.

Slideshow: 44-Image Gallery For 15th-Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

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Kate Winslet and Freida Pinto arrive to the TNT/TBS broadcast of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on January 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevn Mazur.

CHICAGO – This 44-image slideshow contains a selection of official press images from The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which were handed out on Sunday, January 25th, 2009.

Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet Win 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards

CHICAGO – The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) gave out its coveted awards on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009 and Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet, Sean Penn and Meryl Streep walked away with the major film acting prizes.

Anne Hathaway ‘Randomly,’ Inadvertently Awarded Early Golden Globe For ‘Rachel Getting Married’

CHICAGO – At least one “Web site technician” for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) revealed a secret crush on Anne Hathaway’s lead role in “Rachel Getting Married” when the worker “randomly” awarded the actress an early Golden Globe two days before the official NBC telecast.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Mamma Mia!: The Movie’ Makes Musical Magic

Mamma Mia

CHICAGO – To some people, a “Sing-Along” version of “Mamma Mia!: The Movie” might sound like a threat. “No, Timmy, you can’t watch The Dark Knight for the hundredth time and if you don’t do your chores, I’m going to make you sing along with Pierce Brosnan again.” But “Mamma Mia!” has a very specific, very satisfied audience and they will be giddy with ABBA glee at the Blu-Ray release of their favorite movie of 2008.

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TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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