The Princess Bride

CHICAGO – Rob Reiner has lived two distinct show business lives. He played a major role in one of the most famous television shows in history, “All in the Family,” and broke out afterward as a classic American film director, with hits such as “This is Spinal Tap” and “The Princess Bride.” His latest film is “And So it Goes.”

CHICAGO – There are few TV shows associated with a song more than “The Wonder Years”. Joe Cocker’s raspy version of “With a Little Help From My Friends” immediately conjures up that family sitcom and especially the centerpiece lead child actor Fred Savage.

CHICAGO – One of the big kicking-off-the-summer film events is the “CineYouth Fest,” presented by Cinema/Chicago and The Chicago International Film Festival. Opening night is May 8th, 2014, and the special guest is actor, producer and director Fred Savage (“The Wonder Years”), who will participate in a career perspective and audience Q&A. The event is free and open to the public, click here for details and the CineYouth schedule.

CHICAGO – Every few years brings another version of “The Princess Bride,” one of the most beloved films of all time. The latest is a 25th anniversary (yes, I feel old too) edition on Blu-ray, complete with an all-new 2-part featurette called “True Love: The Princess Bride Phenomenon.” That last word there is an over-used one but when you open the BD and see an ad for the “Princess Bride” game for iPhone, it’s hard to argue that Rob Reiner’s movie is NOT a phenomenon.

CHICAGO – He will surely be most-remembered for the trenchcoat-wearing eccentric detective “Columbo” but Peter Falk was a successful and underrated actor outside of the role that defined him. The great Falk passed away today at the age of 83 and the worlds of film and television will miss him greatly.