CHICAGO – There is no better time to take in a stage play that is based in U.S. history, depicting the battle between fact and religion. The old theater chestnut – first mounted in 1955 – is “Inherit the Wind,” now at the Goodman Theatre, completing it’s short run through October 20th. For tickets and more information, click INHERIT.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Inferior Sequel ‘OSS 117: Lost in Rio’ Mostly Falls Flat
Submitted by BrianTT on June 10, 2010 - 1:01pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s no mystery why the appeal of spy satires transcend the boundaries of time and culture. Clueless detectives with a bloated sense of self-importance are great comic punching bags. Everyone loves seeing a doofus get his head slammed in a door, whether that doofus be Inspector Clouseau or Lt. Frank Drebin or countless other law officers who could easily blend in with the Keystone Kops.
TV Review: It Isn’t Easy Being Green on Showtime’s ‘The Green Room’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 10, 2010 - 12:48pmCHICAGO – “I don’t even know what to do on this show. We just talk?” asks comic Bobby Slayton in episode four of the new Showtime series “The Green Room with Paul Provenza.” Yes. And therein lies the problem.
Interview: Ellen DeGeneres Takes on Chicago in ‘Just For Laughs’ Festival
Submitted by Alissa Norby on June 10, 2010 - 2:47amCHICAGO – Ellen DeGeneres has always been a woman of many hats. Whether taking a seat as host (or featured dancer) on her Emmy Award-winning talk show “The Ellen Degeneres Show”, offering musical insight to hopefuls on “American Idol”, or lending her voice to the LGBT community, DeGeneres has become a trailblazer of the entertainment industry.
Theater Review: Northlight Goes For Zest in Sultry ‘Low Down Dirty Blues’
Submitted by Alissa Norby on June 9, 2010 - 7:14pmCHICAGO – “I been in the blues all my life. I’m still delivering ‘cause I got a long memory,” Muddy Waters once recounted to a reporter. Although the narrative catharsis once offered by the likes of Charlie Patton and Bo Carter may have given way to the stylized pulse of R&B, its placement in America’s ever-ripening counterculture is worth the recollection. And luckily for Chicago, it is a stronghold that is now making a timely wake-up call on the Northlight stage, with enough sweat and sizzle to heat a bass line.
Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Kevin James to Ascend on Chicago For Ron Howard Party
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 9, 2010 - 5:47pmCHICAGO – The 46th Chicago International Film Festival announced on Wednesday that several cast members from Universal Pictures’ upcoming comedy by Oscar winner Ron Howard will attend its annual summer gala on June 12, 2010.
Interview: Comedian Robert Klein Gets a Leg Up on Latest HBO Special
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 9, 2010 - 3:10pmCHICAGO – “I can’t stop my leg” is the lyric to Robert Klein’s most famous comedy song, and the venerable stand-up comedian still keeps the laughs coming with his brand of observational hilarity. With a career spanning over 45 years, Klein still knocks ‘em dead on his latest HBO Special, “Unfair and Unbalanced.”
Interview: Actress Morgan Fairchild Highlights Her Career, Activism
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 9, 2010 - 9:02amCHICAGO – Morgan Fairchild was a memorable presence during her early career in various appearances on 1970s and 1980s TV screens. She and also starred in a couple of nighttime soap operas including “Flamingo Road” and “Falcon Crest”.
DVD Review: ‘Collapse’ Paints Unsettling Portrait of Approaching Doom
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 9, 2010 - 8:22amCHICAGO – Doomsday prophecies are a dime a dozen at the movies these days. We’ve become all too complacent in staring at visions of our planet’s fragility, and the preventable threats to our survival. Most apocalyptic thrillers are pitched at the level of B-movie fantasies that make credible issues like global warming seem as frighteningly real as Godzilla.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Book of Eli’ Offers Solid B-Movie Entertainment
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 9, 2010 - 8:08amCHICAGO – If there’s one cinematic trope more tired and overused than the apocalypse, it’s the Bible-quoting badass. Everyone from Jules Winnfield to the Boondock Saints have memorably demonstrated that nothing justifies mass-murder quite like the word of the Lord. Yet Eli, the mysterious hero of the Hughes Brothers’ long-awaited thriller, isn’t just armed with a few scriptural quotes. He’s got the whole book.
Blu-Ray Review: Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Paints the Roses Red
Submitted by BrianTT on June 9, 2010 - 7:00amCHICAGO – In so many ways, Tim Burton’s entire career has been building to “Alice in Wonderland”. The mega-hit (it’s still the #1 film of the year at the domestic box office although will likely be passed, just barely, by “Iron Man 2”) contains so many of Burton’s themes of individuality through a fantasy film lens while it also came under criticism for displaying the shallow lack of dramatic weight of his recent output. With a lovely Disney Blu-ray release, it’s easy to see both sides of one of the most critically divisive films of the year to date.
Video Game Review: Addictive ‘Blur’ Tests More Than Driving Ability
Submitted by BrianTT on June 8, 2010 - 9:08pm Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – May 2010 has seen a trio of racing games that might blur together for casual players but that all come with their own unique identities. Sony’s “ModNation Racers” (which we will review later this week) is about the customizable experience and plays closer to something like “Super Mario Kart” meets “Little Big Planet”. Disney’s “Split/Second” is a car chase scene from a Michael Bay movie brought to life. The most traditional and arguably most addictive is Activision’s “Blur,” a thrill ride that moves at such a high rate of speed that decisions need to made in the blink of an eye.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Season-Four Prize Packs For USA Network’s ‘Burn Notice’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 8, 2010 - 8:03pmCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have two prize packs up for grabs for season four of USA Network’s “Burn Notice”!
DVD Review: Brilliant Seventh Season of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 8, 2010 - 7:44pmCHICAGO – The last year in television will be remembered as a very funny one as hit new comedies like “Glee,” “Modern Family,” and “Community” joined seasoned veterans like “30 Rock,” “The Office,” and “How I Met Your Mother” on lists of the best laugh-fests on the tube. Arguably the best of them all was also the oldest — the amazing seventh season of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” now available on DVD and simply spectacular.
