CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Tepidly Paced ‘The Duchess of Langeais’ a Costume Drama Lacking the Dramatic
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 10, 2008 - 9:45pmCHICAGO – Honoré de Balzac is a famous French writer from the post-Napoleonic age who focused on the societal mores with a sense of realism that hadn’t been seen in literature until that point. He reveled in the oblique moral ambiguity of the human condition.
Interview: Director Roger Spottiswoode Captures Spirit of China’s Past in ‘The Children of Huang Shi’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 7, 2008 - 4:32pmCHICAGO – The second Chinese/Japanese war, which was a 1937 prelude to the great conflict of World War II, is notable today mostly because modern China rose from its ashes. Largely forgotten except for the survivors, it is a backdrop for “The Children of Huang Shi,” which is a new film from veteran director Roger Spottiswoode.
Interview: Director Steve Conrad Elevates Chicago Setting, Sean William Scott in New Comedy ‘The Promotion’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 6, 2008 - 8:41pmCHICAGO – Barring extreme wealth or hermetics, everyone uses the grocery store. It is the great equalizer – the marketplace where all socioeconomic groups can co-exist side by side – in pursuit of daily bread. Inspired by this reality, writer and director Steve Conrad turned it into his feature directorial debut.
Adam Sandler is White Ladies Man in Judd Apatow’s ‘You Don’t Mess With the Zohan’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 6, 2008 - 12:01amCHICAGO – In the relatively anemic anthology of recent Adam Sandler flops, “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” hangs above with comedic charm and a nonsensically amusing plotline. The story is divisively intermingled with racial and ethnic sensitivities between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Interview: Directors Mark Osborne, John Stevenson Create Balance Between Action, Zen in ‘Kung Fu Panda’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 6, 2008 - 12:01amCHICAGO – In this summer movie season of old men with whips, gals in stilettos and superheroes a go-go, you may ask: “Where’s the cartoon?” (“Speed Racer” doesn’t count.) Indeed, the most highly anticipated animation event of the summer is “Kung Fu Panda”.
New Millennium Theatre’s ‘Villains’ Scores Originality With Anti-Hero Plotline
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 4, 2008 - 3:23am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In an unrevealed abandoned warehouse in the seedy underbelly of Chicago’s north side that is the Uptown neighborhood, a group of super villains met last Saturday night to plot and scheme their next attack against law-abiding society.
Relax, Float Upstream With Mike Judge’s ‘The Animation Show 4’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 4, 2008 - 1:34amCHICAGO – This modern golden age of animation proceeds to entertain and astound with each passing year. Mike Judge – the preeminent creator of cartoon legends “Beavis & Butt-Head” and “King of the Hill” – presents his latest compilation of the worldwide best in animated short films.
Set in Tel Aviv, New Israeli Film ‘Jellyfish’ Shines With Virtue, Veracity
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 3, 2008 - 2:34amCHICAGO – It has been a banner year so far for the Israeli film industry. Following the American debuts of “The Band’s Visit” and “Beaufort,” we now have the stunningly composed and heart-rending “Jellyfish”.
Covering Up Sins a Harmful Decision For Catholic Church in ‘Constantine’s Sword’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 1, 2008 - 11:32pmCHICAGO – If there ever was an institution that has distressed itself through years of patriarchal rule, it is the Catholic Church. From examples of historical misdeeds through the recent priest scandals, the Catholic Church has done a dance around truth that would make Saint Vitus proud.
Actors Awkwardly Impersonate Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin in ‘Mister Lonely’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 1, 2008 - 8:51pmCHICAGO – The wonder of a filmmaker’s art and perspective is the ability to challenge and reflect the absurdity of our own nature back to us. Few filmmakers have done more to add provocation to that sensibility than Harmony Korine.
Chicago Native, Legendary Comedian Harvey Korman Passes Away at 81
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 30, 2008 - 4:06pmCHICAGO – Legendary comedian and Chicago native Harvey Korman passed away on Thursday. He is best remembered from films such as “Blazing Saddles” and “High Anxiety” as well as a performer on the “The Carol Burnett Show”. Korman was 81.
Despite its Title, ‘The Strangers’ Actually a Familiar Repeat of Horror Film Conventions
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 30, 2008 - 3:29amCHICAGO – Poor Liv Tyler. She’s stuck in a remote vacation home with nothing but the blank-stare acting of Scott Speedman to “save” her. What’s a rock daughter who becomes an actress to do? First, she shouldn’t sign onto yet another version of the couple-in-terror cliché.
‘Sex and the City: The Movie’ a Frilly University For Understanding the Human Condition
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 30, 2008 - 1:46amCHICAGO – To its voracious universe of cult-following fans, it feels like a television marathon that spans an entire season. To everyone else who bats an indifferent eye at the religion that is “Sex and the City,” it may surprise you to find that all the glam and glitz has something even for you to learn, too.
