HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News

Blu-Ray Review: Catch Up With Dan Brown’s World in ‘The Da Vinci Code’

Da Vinci Code
HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – One of the biggest movies of the summer is sure to be Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons,” the sequel to 2006’s massively successful “The Da Vinci Code,” a Tom Hanks film that left most critics cold but ended up making a stunning quarter-of-a-billion dollars worldwide by the time its theatrical run ended. Before you talk to the “Angels & Demons,” catch up on your mythology with “The Da Vinci Code: 2-Disc Extended Cut” on Blu-Ray.

Interview: Sacha Gervasi Rocks Out With Massively Successful ‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’

Anvil!

CHICAGO – Sacha Gervasi, the director of the great “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” likes to use the word awesome. When we talked about his brilliant love letter to his favorite band, Gervasi couldn’t hide the super-fan inside that is just loving the rock show that has built up around Steve “Lips” Ludlow and Robb Reiner.

Hugh Jackman Rocks in ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine,’ But Movie Falters

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – How did Wolverine get to Northern Alberta, Canada, where he makes his first appearance in a bar cage match in Bryan Singer’s “X-Men”? And what about all those flashbacks to his dark past and the experiments that turned him into a legend? “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” with Hugh Jackman attempts to answer those questions and more but proves that perhaps some mysteries are better left unsolved.

Matthew McConaughey’s ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’ Overdone, But Relatable

CHICAGO – “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” is the cinematic blending of two familiar formulas: the “love, lose and then love again” framework of most romantic comedies with the idea of transforming ghosts from the classic “A Christmas Carol”.

Video: Trailer for ‘Marvel vs. Capcom 2’ Fighting Game From Capcom

Marvel vs. Capcom 2

CHICAGO – Capcom unleashed a trailer for the highly anticipated downloadable title, “Marvel vs. Capcom 2,” a summer release that pits legendary characters from the Marvel Universe (including the hero of the first big summer movie, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) vs. ones from Capcom games. It looks very cool. Check out the preview and then read below for further details.

Video: Trailer For ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Game From Activision

Wolverine

CHICAGO – To celebrate tomorrow’s release of the video game based on the first big movie of the season, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” Activision presents what they call the “Final Reveal” trailer for the highly anticipated tie-in game. Check it out for yourself and don’t miss “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” in theaters tomorrow, May 1st, 2009. The Gavin Hood-directed film stars Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Ryan Reynolds, and Dominic Monaghan.

The Producers: Behind the Scenes of Michael Keaton’s ‘The Merry Gentleman’

CHICAGO – The nature of making an independent film versus a mainstream Hollywood production is evident through the efforts of two Chicago-based producers – Steven A. Jones and Paul Duggan of “The Merry Gentleman”.

Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Releases Controversial ‘In the Realm of the Senses’

In the Realm of the Senses
HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – It’s interesting that Criterion has chosen to give their unmatched treatment to two films in the same week that were drastically censored upon their initial releases - “In the Realm of the Senses” and “The Wages of Fear”. The latter was edited for issues of perceived anti-Americanism and for issues of length. The former was censored for, well, everything.

Blu-Ray Review: Surprisingly Cute, Sweet ‘Hotel For Dogs’ With Emma Roberts

Hotel For Dogs
HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – This serious dog lover was swayed by the family-friendly charms of “Hotel For Dogs,” now available on Blu-Ray and DVD. I’ll admit that the film has some pretty serious flaws and we’ll get to those, but if you’re a kid movie aficionado with a soft spot for man’s best friend, you could do a lot worse than the Blu-Ray of “Hotel For Dogs”. It’s a shaggy one, but a lovable movie pooch.

Blu-Ray Review: Legendary Rap Icon Given Standard Biopic Treatment in ‘Notorious’

Notorious
HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Biggie Smalls deserves better than ‘Notorious’. It’s not that there’s anything drastically wrong with this reasonably well-made and very well-performed biopic but it’s a by-the-numbers, predictable film about an icon who was simply one of the best that ever lived. The ‘Big Poppa’ who could ‘Hypnotize’ with his rhymes should have more than an average biopic.

Video: Trailer For ‘Paper Heart’ With Michael Cera, Charlyne Yi

Paper Heart

CHICAGO – Overture Films sent over the trailer for the super-cute “Paper Heart,” a mockumentary starring Michael Cera (“Arrested Development,” “Superbad”) and Charlyne Yi (“Knocked Up”). The film was co-written by Yi with director Nicholas Jasenovec.

Blu-Ray Review: HD ‘X-Men Trilogy’ Primes Fans For First Big Summer Movie

X-Men Trilogy
HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – With ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ opening this Friday, fans can catch up on where Hugh Jackman’s legendary character earned a following big enough to warrant a summer tentpole release date in the Blu-Ray release of the “X-Men Trilogy” including the two films by Bryan Singer (“X-Men” and “X2: X-Men United”) and the three-quel by Brett Ratner (“X-Men: The Last Stand”).

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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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