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Blu-Ray, DVD Round Up, June 16, 2009: ‘Crossing Over,’ ‘Woodstock,’ ‘The Cell 2’

Woodstock

CHICAGO – It’s time to dig a little deeper at HollywoodChicago.com and pull out a standard and HD edition of the Round-Up, our regular column that gives you the synopsis, features, and technical details on several titles that we either couldn’t get around to full-length reviewing or we didn’t think deserved the time.

TV Review: TNT’s Overly Earnest ‘HawthoRNe’ Won’t Cure Summer TV Blues

Hawthorne

CHICAGOTNT’s medical drama “HawthoRNe” would have felt overly generic in any month of the year, but debuting in the same one as Showtime’s far darker, subtler and more entertaining “Nurse Jackie” does the show no favors at all. Jada Pinkett Smith executive-produces and stars in a well-intentioned program with a good pedigree (John Masius of “St. Elsewhere” is one of the producers) but one that feels like a relic of a bygone era of more manipulative television.

Video: Michael Moore Previews in Chicago With Stunt, Teaser Trailer

CHICAGO – Michael Moore, again pushing the hot button, interrupted the scheduled 7:15pm showing of “Pelham 1-2-3” at Chicago’s AMC River East Theater on Friday, June 12th, with a publicity stunt and teaser for his next documentary.

Blu-Ray Review: Audiences Won’t Cheer For Lame ‘Fired Up’

Fired Up

CHICAGO – How desperate are you for laughs? If you rent all the straight-to-video comedies that come down the line, then “Fired Up” may have enough lines that hit the funny bone to warrant a rental. It’s certainly not as unbearable as some theatrical junk like “Disaster Movie” or “White Chicks,” but that’s doesn’t mean it’s worth your time.

Blu-Ray Review: HBO Brings Home Best Two Mini-Series of 2008 in HD

Generation Kill

CHICAGO – If you haven’t seen HBO’s “Generation Kill” or “John Adams,” then you haven’t seen two of the best mini-series of the last several years and the absolute best of 2008. These are both pieces of amazing television, must-sees for fans of intense, adult drama and now available on Blu-Ray.

TV Review: ‘True Blood’ Returns For a Bloody Good Summer

CHICAGO – Forget the buzz about “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” There are 12 hours of vampire love before that even hits theaters. HBO’s spectacular “True Blood” returns this weekend with a great second season premiere filled with the gore, sex, humor, and thrills that fans of the show have come to expect. It’s going to be a hot summer in Bon Temps.

‘Imagine That’: Eddie Murphy’s Family Fare Predictable as Sunrise

FrontPiece.jpg

CHICAGO – Nobody expects an actor to maintain the ambitions of their early career. The manic energy of Eddie Murphy from “Raw” or “48 Hours” is as gone as an ‘80s hairdo. But the numbing sameness of family-friendly Eddie is a direction that is stultifying, and does no favors for him or the audience.

‘Away We Go’ From Sam Mendes a Slightly Bumpy Trip Worth Taking

Away We Go with John Krasinski

CHICAGO – Has life always been this difficult? Doesn’t anybody ever stay together anymore? Have the pressures of modern times turned the majority of us into screw-ups?

Blu-Ray Review: Kiefer Sutherland, ‘24’ Continue to Set the Bar

24

CHICAGO – The standard DVD season sets for “24” have long been setting the bar for what TV on DVD “should be”. Winning awards for their technical transfers and detailed, copious special features, the producers of “24“‘s home releases took it a step further this year by changing the game yet again with the Blu-Ray release of “24: Season Seven”.

Denzel Washington, John Travolta in Average ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’

Taking of Pelham 123
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Tony Scott’s remake of “The Taking of Pelham 123,” starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, is likely to meet sun-drained audience expectations for a straight-forward, adult-driven action film this season but the overly stylized and not-so-thrilling train ride is ultimately merely average at best and will disappoint fans looking for anything more.

DVD Review: Great Final Season of ‘Reaper’ Gets Lackluster Release

Reaper

CHICAGO – Part of me is happy about the trend of TV being released quickly on DVD after a season ends, but what about when it turns out to be the last? Should seasons be rushed to store shelves or should time and respect be given for a show canceled far-too-soon? “Reaper: Season Two” is a bittersweet release, a set that’s barely even focused on the sophomore season of this excellent show much less the fact that it’s not coming back.

DVD Review: Groundbreaking TV Pioneer Featured in ‘The Norman Lear Collection’

The Norman Lear Collection

CHICAGO – Sony’s “The Norman Lear Collection” is a gorgeous collectible DVD box set that will make an amazing gift for parents this upcoming Father’s Day. With 19 discs, hours of spectacular television, and never-before-seen special features, how can one complain about “The Norman Lear Collection”? Well, what if you already own 17 of the 19 discs?

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  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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