Richard Armitage

CHICAGO – Though he’s never been called it before in scientific speak, I’m saying it now: Peter Jackson is a master of mitosis. He’s one of Hollywood’s best in splitting up the cinematic cellular DNA of one story into three because, apparently, he can’t do epics unless they’re in groups of three.

CHICAGO – To celebrate the release of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” in cinemas, HollywoodChicago.com, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and New Line Cinema are giving away 30 pairs of advance-screening passes to the highly anticipated “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”!

CHICAGO – Early incarnations of “Godzilla,” for example, were so memorable because of the characters and its story. The “special effects” were laughable, but the films caught on despite it because they had heart.

CHICAGO – What is there to say about a movie whose chief attraction lies in action set pieces involving CGI tornadoes? You either like this sort of thing or you don’t. I took my ten year old, who seemed to have a good time, and I know I felt pretty captivated by some of those visuals – but I’m a sucker for a thrill ride. Sound indecisive?

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 75 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new thriller “Into the Storm” starring Richard Armitage and directed by the visual effects master from “Avatar”!

Peter Jackson and Bilbo Baggins find their groove in the entertaining “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” an improvement over “An Unexpected Journey” in every single department.

CHICAGO – It’s an old-fashioned phrase for an old-fashioned show but the one I keep thinking of regarding BBC’s incredibly enjoyable “Robin Hood,” the third season of which is now on DVD, is “rollicking entertainment”. Whatever that means to you, “Robin Hood” is it. This show is an entertaining blast, made even more so by a dark streak in the excellent third season.

CHICAGO – BBC America’s excellent “Robin Hood” returns tonight, September 12th, with the start of what looks to be a much darker, more intense season of the hit show. Continuing to update the legend for a new generation, the writers of this edition of “Robin Hood” find clever ways to keep the spirit of classic incarnations of the timeless hero intact while making it feel fresh and new at the same time.