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+.
February 2009
Drew Barrymore Rumored to Direct ‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 12:55pmCHICAGO – Had enough news about “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”? Entertainment Weekly is reporting this morning that the next movie may already have a director and it’s a surprising choice, Drew Barrymore.
Slideshow: 18-Image Gallery From ‘Race to Witch Mountain’ With Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 12:20pmCHICAGO – This 18-image slideshow contains the available press images for Walt Disney Pictures’ “Race to Witch Mountain,” starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Carla Gugino, Anna SophiaRobb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Everett Scott, Chris Marquette, and Billy Brown. The film, directed by Andy Fickman, opens on Friday, March 13th, 2009.
Fans of ‘Twilight’ Franchise Can Win Walk-On Part in ‘The Twilight Saga’s New Moon’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:57amCHICAGO – Have you always wanted to be in a “Twilight” movie? Think you have what it takes to act opposite Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner or Ashley Greene? Now you can win a walk-on role in “New Moon,” which is otherwise known as “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”.
Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow Shine in Excellent ‘Two Lovers’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:18amCHICAGO – How many men have missed out on a great relationship because they were chasing a romantic vision largely of their own making? James Gray’s excellent “Two Lovers,” the film that Joaquin Phoenix has notoriously been promoting in a style similar to that of Andy Kaufman, is a wonderful character-driven drama about a man caught between what he has and what he wants.
Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow Shine in Excellent ‘Two Lovers’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:15am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How many men have missed out on a great relationship because they were chasing a romantic vision largely of their own making? James Gray’s excellent “Two Lovers,” the film that Joaquin Phoenix has notoriously been promoting in a style similar to that of Andy Kaufman, is a wonderful character-driven drama about a man caught between what he has and what he wants.
DVD Review: ‘Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season’ Features Gripping Performance
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:11am DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – AMC’s “Breaking Bad” is not one of my favorite shows on television but the lead performance by Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston is one of the most riveting I’ve seen in the last few years. He is pitch-perfect and everything that works about this unusual series comes from his great star turn.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Sex Drive: Unrated and Cream-filled’ Edition Delivers What Title Promises
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:03am Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray for the raunchy teen comedy “Sex Drive” is simply ridiculous. And I think I mean that in a good way. As a DVD critic, I’m constantly faced with “Unrated” editions that don’t really live up to their name. You can say a lot about “Sex Drive,” but the Blu-Ray is undeniably “Unrated and Cream-filled”.
Video Game Review: ‘F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin’ Both Terrifying, Addictive
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 6:24pm Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s “F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin” is not a perfect game but it is the most addictively playable action titles released so far this year. Like a great horror movie, it will suck you in, keep you on the edge of your seat through the majority of its playing time, and spit you out on the other side, exhausted but with a huge smile on your face.
Blu-Ray Round Up, Feb. 26, 2009: ‘Futurama,’ ‘Ronin,’ ‘Vanishing Point’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 4:55pmCHICAGO – Still trying to get over an Oscar hangover? There’s no better way to deflate the pomposity of awards season than with a wicked car chase. Of course, one of the best of all time hit Blu-Ray this week in the controversial Blu-Ray release of “The French Connection,” but the same studio also released another pair of movies dedicated to automobile aficionados and an animated sci-fi comedy when all the metal destruction gets too much to take.
DVD Review: Two John Cassavetes Classics Are Inducted Into Criterion Collection
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 4:16pm DVD Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Entries number 251 and number 252 in the most important and impressive series of DVDs in the history of the format, The Criterion Collection, come from the same influential writer/director, one of the godfathers of the independent film industry, John Cassavetes. Both are worthwhile additions to any serious film collector’s shelf.
The Morning After: Upcoming Projects For 2009 Oscar Winners
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 12:56pmCHICAGO – The legacy of Oscar winners following their wins with horrible career choices is long and well-recorded. Perhaps the best piece of news about this year’s Academy Award winners is that they are unlikely to produce a “Snow Dogs,” “Gothika,” or “Aeon Flux” any time soon. The upcoming projects for 2009 Academy Award winners is a more promising slate than most years.
The House Theatre Stages Comeback With ‘Rose and the Rime’
Submitted by Alissa Norby on February 25, 2009 - 11:37pm Play Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – While most of America’s eyes were glued to the television screens Sunday night to catch Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” nab its gold, the celebrated underdog of Chicago theatre companies shyly began to spout its new wings.
Slideshow: 20-Image Gallery From Back Stage at 81st Annual Academy Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 5:12pmCHICAGO – This 20-image slideshow contains a selection of the award-winners and presenters back backstage at “The 81st Annual Academy Awards,” which aired on ABC on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009.
Tricia Helfer Makes Fans Melt on USA’s ‘Burn Notice’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 5:04pmCHICAGO – Tricia Helfer would have been famous just for her sexy and stellar work on the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” but she’s also become an essential part of the hit USA Network show “Burn Notice” as the mysterious and deadly Carla, the woman who holds the secrets to Michael’s (Jeffrey Donovan) past and future.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The French Connection’ Loses None of Its Power, But Video Disappoints
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 1:50pm Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The French Connection” is one of those rare movies that’s always better than I remember it to be. Not that I think poorly of William Friedkin’s masterful procedural, a multiple Oscar winner and game-changer in the world of detective cinema, but that it’s a film that blows me away every time see it. So why did William Friedkin have to mess with the picture?
Taking the Oscars Home: How to See the 2009 Academy Award Winners
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 11:57amCHICAGO – Believe it or not, a lot of people heard about some critically acclaimed 2009 films for the first time on Sunday night, when they won or were nominated for 2009 Academy Awards and are now wondering how they can see winning films like “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” and shorts like “La Maison en Petits Cubes” and “Toyland”. Let us guide the way.
‘Watchmen’ at Chicago’s Navy Pier IMAX Adds Morning Screening on March 6, 2009
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 25, 2009 - 2:22amCanadian Actor Bronson Pelletier Cast in ‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘The Twilight Saga’s New Moon’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 12:30amCHICAGO – An actor from the Canadian series “Renegadepress” and Discovery Kids’ “Dinosapien,” Bronson Pelletier has been cast in the highly anticipated “Twilight” sequel “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon,” which is based on the book “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer.
Slideshow: 46-Image Gallery For ‘I Love You, Man’ With Andy Samberg, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 24, 2009 - 10:40pm
CHICAGO – This 46-image slideshow contains official press images for the comedy “I Love You, Man,” which stars Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau, J.K. Simmons, Thomas Lennon, Lou Ferrigno (of “The Incredible Hulk”), Joe Lo Truglio, Jane Curtin, Rob Huebel and Sarah Burns from director and screenwriter John Hamburg.
Slideshow: 27-Image Oscar Gallery From on Stage at 81st Annual Academy Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on February 24, 2009 - 7:15pmCHICAGO – This 27-image slideshow contains a selection of the award-winners and presenters at “The 81st Annual Academy Awards,” which aired on ABC on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009.
Slideshow: 26-Image Gallery For Red-Carpet Arrivals at the World Premiere of ‘Watchmen’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 23, 2009 - 8:38pmCHICAGO – This 26-image slideshow contains a selection of the red carpet arrivals for the world premiere of “Watchmen” at the Odeon, Leicester Square on February 23rd, 2009. Check out images of Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and more of the cast and crew of Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen,” opening March 6th, 2009.
Slideshow: 30-Image Gallery For Red-Carpet Arrivals at 2009 Academy Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on February 23, 2009 - 1:45amCHICAGO – This 30-image slideshow contains a selection of the arrivals at The 81st Annual Academy Awards. Want to know what people were wearing? Check out images of Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, “High School Musical“‘s Vanessa Hudgens, Marisa Tomei, Mickey Rourke, Natalie Portman, Taraji P. Henson, Melissa Leo, “New Moon“‘s Robert Pattinson, and many more.
‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, Sean Penn Win 2009 Academy Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on February 23, 2009 - 1:17amCHICAGO – Fox Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire” was the huge winner at The 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 taking home an amazing eight Oscars, including the trophies for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Song, and Best Sound Mixing.
DVD Round Up, Feb. 22, 2009: ‘Alien Raiders,’ ‘Dead Like Me,’ ‘Religulous’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 22, 2009 - 6:44pmCHICAGO – Oscar madness has left the Round Up a little weary of high profile, award-bait movies. We need a break from the Oscars and what better way to do that than with a few titles that might have slipped through the cracks while everyone was singing “Jai Ho”.
Slideshow: 20-Image Gallery For Film Independent Spirit Awards With Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba
Submitted by BrianTT on February 22, 2009 - 11:18amCHICAGO – This 20-image slideshow contains the selected images from the Piaget event at the “Film Independent Spirit Awards” from Saturday, February 21st, 2009. Celebrities photographed include Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Jon Hamm, Aaron Eckhart, Alec Baldwin, Laura Dern, Anthony Mackie, John Waters, Taraji P. Henson, Mena Suvari, Anne Hathaway, Melissa Leo, Michelle Williams, and Andie MacDowell.
Mickey Rourke, Melissa Leo Win 2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on February 21, 2009 - 8:31pmCHICAGO – “The Wrestler” was the big winner at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles, as Darren Aronofsky’s film took home the prize for Best Picture and Mickey Rourke won for Best Actor. Other big winners included Melissa Leo for Best Actress for “Frozen River,” James Franco for Best Supporting Actor for “Milk,” and Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.
Following ‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘New Moon,’ Release Date Set For ‘Eclipse’ Threequel
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 21, 2009 - 6:44pmCHICAGO – On the heels of the “Twilight” sequel news that “New Moon” has been renamed “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon” and a new logo for the film has been released, we now have confirmed news from Summit Entertainment of a June 30, 2010 release date for the “Eclipse” threequel, which will be named “The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse”.
New Trailer For Award-Winning, Independent Spirit-Nominated ‘Sleep Dealer’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 11:41pmCHICAGO – The winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Prize and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, “Sleep Dealer,” finally has a preview and our contact at Maya Entertainment sent it over for your online pleasure.
From ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to ‘Milk’: HollywoodChicago.com Picks the 2009 Oscar Winners
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 11:28pmCHICAGO – Content director Brian Tallerico and staff writers Dustin Levell and Patrick McDonald have merged their movie-loving minds and come up with the ultimate Oscar preview. Win your office pool, impress your friends and propose a toast to the nominees that should have been when the 81st-annual Academy Awards are broadcast on Feb. 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. CST.
‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘New Moon’ Gets New Art, Changes Name to ‘The Twilight Saga’s New Moon’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 10:35pmCHICAGO – MTV broke the news moments ago that “New Moon,” which is the highly anticipated sequel to “Twilight,” will now be called “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”. What do you think of the title change? Let us know in the comment section below.
