January 2013

Blu-ray Review: Disingenuous ‘Won’t Back Down’ Oversimplifies Vital Issues

Won't Back Down Blu-ray

CHICAGO – If a film were meant to be judged purely on the basis of its final shot, then Daniel Barnz’s “Won’t Back Down” would be an unqualified success. The image of a little girl finally learning to pronounce the word “hope” could’ve easily been a cheesy contrivance straight out of a Feldco commercial. Even on paper, the shot sounds downright silly.

Film News: Three Premieres at ‘Short in Chicago Film Fiesta’

Shorts in Chicago Film Fiesta

CHICAGO – Three short movie premieres will take place on January 24th at the Muvico 18 theaters in Rosemont, Ill., all part of the “Short in Chicago Film Fiesta.” The event is presented by Chicago Talkies Limited, and includes 7pm and 9pm screenings of the new short films “Fate Accompli,” “Dear Dad” and “Ctrl + Life + Delete.”

DVD Review: Delightful Score Bolsters ‘Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best’

Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best DVD

CHICAGO – Amiable charm compensates for scattershot laughs in Ryan O’Nan’s directorial debut, “Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best.” There’s an undercurrent of tangible warmth that reverberates beneath O’Nan’s awkward assemblage of quirky gags and self-consciously clever dialogue. Though I spent much of the film on the fence, it eventually won me over.

2013 Sundance Diary, Day 5: Coming-of-Age Stories Dominate the Fest

PARK CITY, Utah – Perhaps it’s due to the success of the Sundance hit “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and its story of a girl who was forced to grow up too soon or just the fact that it’s a common theme of independent cinema but coming-of-age stories dominated this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Exclusive Portrait: Jamie Lee Curtis Showcases New Book in Chicagoland

Jamie Lee Curtis, photo by Joe Arce.

CHICAGO – The long career of Jamie Lee Curtis has taken her from early “scream queen” status to pitching yogurt. But what is lesser known about the popular actress is that she is a child’s book author of note. “My Brave Year of Firsts” is her tenth collaboration with illustrator Laura Cornell, and she was at Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville, Ill) last autumn to read excerpts and autograph the book.

2013 Sundance Diary, Day 4: A Good Kind of Crazy

PARK CITY, Utah – Every film festival produces at least one film (hopefully more) that just blows audiences away, shattering expectations and leaving them breathless. The future Oscar nominee from Sundance Film Festival 2013 is Richard Linklater’s “Before Midnight,” a film that is quite simply perfect.

Slideshow: 2013 Chicago Latino Film Festival Poster Revealed

| Image 1 of 4 |

CHICAGO – Last Thursday, January 17th, the 2013 Latino Film Festival kicked off its event activities by revealing their official poster. The poster was designed by Jori Cicale, a local graphic art student, and was selected from over 150 designs submitted. The 29th Chicago Latino film festival will take place from April 11th-25th.

Blu-ray Review: Awful ‘Hit and Run’ Mistakes Shrill Pratfalls for Humor

Hit and Run Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell are an awfully cute couple. Their effortless puppy-dog chemistry is sweet without being cloying and endearing without verging into treacle. Resembling a more stretched-out and irreverent Zach Braff, Shepard makes Bell appear more at ease than she ever has before on film. I can’t imagine a better pairing for a romantic comedy.

TV Review: ‘The Following’ Pits Kevin Bacon Against a KIller

CHICAGO – The fascination with extreme criminals basically fuels the most popular prime time TV dramas. In “The Following,” it’s a serial killer – in the mold of Hannibal Lecter – that befuddles an FBI agent portrayed by Kevin Bacon. The premiere is on FOX on January 21st, at 9pm ET/8pm CT.

Film Review: Crime Thriller ‘Broken City’ Fictionalizes its Crime Without Most of its Thrill

Broken City with Mark Wahlberg

CHICAGO – Rife with corruption and injustice, the setting for “Broken City” could have been picked from a litter of U.S. metropolitans. Said star Mark Wahlberg in a recent red-carpet interview with HollywoodChicago.com, it’s not Chicago.

Crime Thriller ‘Broken City’ Fictionalizes its Crime Without Most of its Thrill

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Rife with corruption and injustice, the setting for “Broken City” could have been picked from a litter of U.S. metropolitans. Said star Mark Wahlberg in a recent red-carpet interview with HollywoodChicago.com, it’s not Chicago.

2013 Sundance Diary, Day 3: Let’s Run Away From it All

PARK CITY, Utah – Film festivals naturally encourage those who write about them to look for themes. A few years ago it was the end of the world. This year, it seems to be the coming-of-age story (“Kill Your Darlings,” “The Spectacular Now,” “Mud,” “Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes,” “The Way, Way Back”) on the surface and the journey from home a little deeper.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 Free ‘End of Watch’ Blu-rays With Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña

CHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 free Blu-rays up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “End of Watch” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña!

2013 Sundance Diary, Day 2: Porn, Cannibalism & Drugs From the Frontlines of Indie Film

PARK CITY, Utah – Battling the thousands who have descended upon Park City, Utah for a small portion of their Wi-Fi bandwidth, I’m back with my second report from the frontlines of independent cinema.

Slideshow: Stars Align at ‘The Hollywood Show’ in Chicago

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CHICAGO – One of the most unique happenings in Chicago every year is “The Hollywood Show.” This annual event presents celebrities from TV and film, both from the nostalgic past and the current scene. In September of 2012, the show included Loni Anderson (“WKRP in Cincinnati”), Oscar Winner Martin Landau and the reunited cast of “Lost in Space,” all meeting fans and signing autographs.

2013 Sundance Diary, Day 1: Documentaries Continue to Thrive

PARK CITY, Utah – Here I am in Park City, Utah. Well, sort of. The truth is that I’ve been allowed to see a number of 2013 Sundance Film Festival films early, either screening in Chicago or streaming online. Some will merely be scattered through my coverage, as I won’t mention them till they premiere, but a vast majority premiere on the first full day of the fest, January 18, 2013.

Film Review: Arnold Schwarzenegger is Back in ‘The Last Stand’

Last Stand, The

CHICAGO – With enough hair plugs, bronzer and hormone injections to float a rejuvenation clinic, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back from his political meanderings and is an action star once again in the shoot-’em-up “The Last Stand.” Johnny Knoxville lends some comic relief.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is Back in ‘The Last Stand’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – With enough hair plugs, bronzer and hormone injections to float a rejuvenation clinic, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back from his political meanderings and is an action star once again in the shoot-’em-up “The Last Stand.” Johnny Knoxville lends some comic relief.

Film Review: Common Delivers Best Work to Date in Problematic ‘LUV’

LUV Film Review

CHICAGO – Assigned the role of World’s Worst Father Figure, Common delivers a performance so compelling that it nearly makes Sheldon Candis’ blood-soaked odyssey worth the trip. Nearly, however, is the key word. For all of it merits, this picture derails into a ditch of heavy-handed implausibility at the precise moment when it should be soaring.

Common Delivers Best Work to Date in Problematic ‘LUV’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Assigned the role of World’s Worst Father Figure, Common delivers a performance so compelling that it nearly makes Sheldon Candis’ blood-soaked odyssey worth the trip. Nearly, however, is the key word. For all of it merits, this picture derails into a ditch of heavy-handed implausibility at the precise moment when it should be soaring.

Film Review: ‘Mama’ is Everything Classic Horror Should Be

CHICAGO – Occasionally, along comes a filmmaker who completely understands what makes a horror film work. “Mama,” the debut of co-writer and director Andy Muschietti, contains creepy children, psychological ramifications, clueless victims and deep mystery. This is both scary and a thriller.

‘Mama’ is Everything Classic Horror Should Be

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Occasionally, along comes a filmmaker who completely understands what makes a horror film work. “Mama,” the debut of co-writer and director Andy Muschietti, contains creepy children, psychological ramifications, clueless victims and deep mystery. This is both scary and a thriller.

TV Review: Sterling Fourth Season Premiere for ‘Archer’

Archer Season 4

CHICAGO – Not content to stand on its status as one of the top tier and weirdest animated series on TV, the season four premiere of “Archer” begins with a premise that redefines the term crossover. The new season of “Archer” begins on FX on January 17th, at 10pm ET/9pm CT.

TV Review: Jim Jeffries Creates a Skewed Sitcom in ‘Legit’

CHICAGO – The tradition of the stand-up comedian evolving into a TV comedy sitcom is a long one – from George Burns to Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby to Louis CK. Jim Jeffries is throwing his funny hat into the ring, with the premiere of “Legit,” broadcasting on FX on January 17th at 10:30pm ET/9:30pm CT.

Blu-ray Review: Dazzling Visuals Overpower Muddled Messages in ‘Samsara’

Samsara Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Blending the spiritual majesty of 1992’s “Baraka” with ominous overtones suggesting a world out of balance (so memorably portrayed in 1982’s “Koyaanisqatsi”), master cinematographer Ron Fricke’s “Samsara” is the sort of rapturous visual feast that his fans have come to expect from him. The key difference here is the spectacular level of clarity brought to each image.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of IMAX Passes to ‘Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters’

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 pairs of IMAX movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the new action/fantasy “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” starring Jeremy Renner!

DVD Review: Masterful ‘The Wise Kids’ Avoids Stereotypes, Opts for Honesty

The Wise Kids DVD

CHICAGO – There was no film in 2012 that moved me more deeply or left me feeling more exhilarated than Stephen Cone’s achingly personal masterpiece, “The Wise Kids.” It’s the sort of film that I’ve been hoping to see get made for quite some time. Whereas so many films about people of faith rely on condescending stereotypes to push a contrived agenda, Cone’s picture is humanistic in every sense of the word.

Interview: Indie Spirit Winner Adam Leon for ‘Gimme the Loot’

CHICAGO – The Independent Spirit Awards, to be announced at the ceremony on February 23rd, got a jump start on a few of their accolades last weekend. Adam Leon, director of the soon-to-be-released feature “Gimme the Loot,” took home the “Someone to Watch Award.”

Interview: Damien Echols, Lorri Davis Travel ‘West of Memphis’

CHICAGO – The story of the West Memphis Three is not over. Yes, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley are finally, mercifully, out of jail but questions still linger about who really killed three children two decades ago. And Echols has to deal with life outside of prison with his wife Lorri Davis as the whole world is new to him and thousands are so grateful for his release.

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