The Descendants

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new drama “Nebraska” starring Bruce Dern from the director of “The Descendants” and “Sideways”!

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com hooks you up to see the very best movies (large and indie) for free before anyone else can. While we’ve been doing that since 2008, in this rare Hookup we offer up advance-screening tickets to a film that has been specifically handpicked by Chicago film critics.

CHICAGO – Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are nothing if not spontaneous beings. Upon accepting their Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, which they shared with Alexander Payne for the 2011 critical darling, “The Descendants,” they struck a comical pose, satirizing presenter Angelina Jolie’s leggy posture. It was a small moment, but it provided the dreary telecast with its biggest laugh.

CHICAGO – Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” was one of my favorite films of 2011 and, no, nothing has changed in the last 12 weeks. The window between theatrical release and Blu-ray has become so small that there’s not even time really to allow a film to age or change between a film review and a Blu-ray review. “The Descendants” was great a few months ago. And it’s still great.

CHICAGO – Welcome to the HollywoodChicago.com coverage of the 84th annual Academy Awards. This awards telecast honors the best in film for 2011 and will be hosted by Billy Crystal at 7:30 p.m. CST tonight on ABC.

CHICAGO – Content Director Brian Tallerico and Staff Writers Matt Fagerholm, Tim Martens and Patrick McDonald have merged their movie-loving minds and come up with the ultimate Oscar preview.

CHICAGO – The Writers Guild of America announced their selections of the top writing for film, television, news, radio, video games, and new media last night, and the top prizes went to some familiar faces from this award season.

CHICAGO – 2012 continues its trend for the fourth straight weekend with another new film coming in at number one. In a month of all sorts of new releases, “The Grey” is the fourth different film to win the box office on its opening weekend.

CHICAGO – Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” became the most Oscar-nominated film of 2011 on Tuesday morning, leading the way with eleven nominations but followed closely by “The Artist” with ten nods.

CHICAGO – Another year, another Oscar season. Blah. As much as I love the Oscars, there’s something about this one that feels just a little different — a little more jaded, a little more apathetic, a little nonplussed. I think it has to do with two major factors: