January 2013

Blu-ray Review: Howlingly Derivative ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days’

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Most former kids can agree that junior high is pure hell. It’s the dividing line between the carefree bliss of elementary school and the budding maturity of high school. Suddenly kids are faced with a decision: either assert their dominance over the weakest of their peers or risk joining them. Become a bully or be bullied. Neither option is enticing.

Exclusive Slideshow: Mark Wahlberg, Director Allen Hughes at Chicago’s ‘Broken City’ Red Carpet

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CHICAGO – Mark Wahlberg and director Allen Hughes were literally greeted to a mob of Chicago fans at Sunday night’s red-carpet premiere of their new thriller “Broken City”. The HollywoodChicago.com lens was there to capture all the action.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes to ‘Paranormal Activity’ Spoof ‘A Haunted House’

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the “Paranormal Activity” spoof “A Haunted House”!

Blu-ray Review: Strong Pace, Great Cast Give Speed to Mediocre ‘Premium Rush’

Premium Rush

CHICAGO – I heard from a lot of people during the recent year-end season of top ten lists, critics awards, and Oscar predictions that one of the films I needed to catch up with that was underrated was David Koepp’s “Premium Rush,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD. The movie has hardcore fans. I don’t quite get the most adamant of those fans. It’s an OK flick, a decent rental with strong pacing, impressive stunts, and a great cast, who elevate a pretty mediocre script.

Blu-ray Review: Matthew McConaughey Mesmerizes in Great ‘Killer Joe’

Killer Joe

CHICAGO – William Friedkin’s “Killer Joe” is one of the most underrated films of 2012. Sure, it has its fans, but the movie made almost nothing in theaters (around $3.5 million worldwide) and didn’t make enough year-end lists for my tastes. The cast rules, the script from Tracy Letts’ play is stellar, and the design is perfect. If you can handle your noir with a heavy dose of greasy malevolence, it’s a definite rental you’ll want to make.

Blu-ray Review: Generic is a Kind Word For ‘Trouble with the Curve’

Trouble with the Curve

CHICAGO – “Trouble with the Curve,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, opens with Clint Eastwood talking to his unresponsive cock and then kicking a chair across the room. He’s in full ornery old man mode in this movie that features talented people working with a script that doesn’t allow any of them to actually use their talents.

Blu-ray Review: Fantastic ‘Looper’ Gets Great Blu-ray Release

Looper

CHICAGO – I clearly loved “Looper” as evidenced by my initial review, interview with Rian Johnson, placement of Emily Blunt on my Best Supporting Performances of 2012 piece, and putting it #9 on my Best of 2012. Watching it again in glorious HD, I had a surprising thought given all of the above — I may have underrated it.

TV Review: ABC Brings Back More Dating Drama with ‘The Bachelor’

CHICAGOABC’s “The Bachelor” is a fascinating reality show in the way that the producers barely change up the formula from year to year and yet audiences continue to tune in with shocking regularity. Some call it a guilty pleasure. Some call it escapism. So reviewing it is tough.

TV Review: NBC Continues to Frustrate with Generic ‘Deception’

CHICAGO – The brain trust of programmers at NBC continues to make baffling decisions, producing yet another soap-covered drama that feels like it could have been created by a computer trying to replicate the success of other networks.

Slideshow: Exclusive C2E2 Portraits Highlight 2012

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CHICAGO – One of the great events in Chicago in 2012 was the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, affectionately called C2E2. A galaxy of movie and TV stars appeared at that Spring gathering, including Sean Astin, John Cusack, Val Kilmer and Steven Yuen (“The Walking Dead”). The next C2E2 is April 26-28, 2013.

Exclusive Portrait: Happy 2013 for ‘Real Housewife’ Teresa Giudice

Teresa Giudice, photo by Joe Arce

CHICAGO – Between appearing on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” “Celebrity Apprentice” and running her online boutique “TG Fabulicious,” Teresa Giudice is one of the top earners of all the Bravo TV’s “Real Housewives.” She spent the end of 2012 squashing rumors of a split from her husband, “Juicy Joe” Giudice, and is anticipating a fifth season of her popular series in 2013.

Feature: HollywoodChicago.com’s 15 Best Interviews of 2012

CHICAGO – The significant HollywoodChicago.com show business interviews of 2012 – eclectic, independent and varied – flowed throughout the year from the perspectives of Matt Fagerholm, Brian Tallerico and Patrick McDonald. All three contribute to this year-end survey of the 15 Best Interviews of 2012.

Film Review: Memorable ‘Sister’ Strikes Emotional Chords

CHICAGO – With a delicacy and melancholy reminiscent of the Dardennes brothers, Ursula Meier’s “Sister,” shortlisted for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and opening tomorrow in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre, is a heartbreakingly effective piece of work about a boy forced to be a man by his circumstance.

Memorable ‘Sister’ Strikes Emotional Chords

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

CHICAGO – With a delicacy and melancholy reminiscent of the Dardennes brothers, Ursula Meier’s “Sister,” shortlisted for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and opening tomorrow in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre, is a heartbreakingly effective piece of work about a boy forced to be a man by his circumstance.

Blu-ray Review: Surprisingly Fun ‘Resident Evil: Retribution’

Resident Evil: Retribution

CHICAGO – There’s no logical reason at all for a FIFTH “Resident Evil” movie to be any good at all, especially given how poorly the series has gone since the relatively-fun first installment. I approached “Resident Evil: Retribution” with an understandably heavy amount of trepidation. Most Paul W.S. Anderson movies are a complete waste of time.

Blu-ray Review: Great Extras Enhance Mike Birbiglia’s ‘Sleepwalk with Me’

Sleepwalk with Me Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Sometimes the best way for comics to find an ideal vehicle for their abilities is to direct it themselves. 2012 offered ample proof of that, with Louis C.K. and Lena Dunham setting a stupendously high bar for TV comedy with their respective self-made programs. Of course, “Louis” and “Girls” benefit greatly from the contributions of their first-rate ensembles, yet both are also driven by a singular vision.

Film Review: Alan Cumming Shines in Heartbreaking ‘Any Day Now’

CHICAGO – Travis Fine’s “Any Day Now” is an old-fashioned social problem film painted in the broadest of strokes. Fairly early on, the audience is faced with two choices: either resist the film’s assuredly tear-jerking formula or submit to it. Though some critics will always opt for the first choice, regardless of a film’s merits, I’m willing to praise a formula as long as it’s well-executed.

Alan Cumming Shines in Heartbreaking ‘Any Day Now’

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

CHICAGO – Travis Fine’s “Any Day Now” is an old-fashioned social problem film painted in the broadest of strokes. Fairly early on, the audience is faced with two choices: either resist the film’s assuredly tear-jerking formula or submit to it. Though some critics will always opt for the first choice, regardless of a film’s merits, I’m willing to praise a formula as long as it’s well-executed.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘Broken City’ With Mark Wahlberg Appearing in Person

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 50 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of “Broken City” with Mark Wahlberg and director Allen Hughes appearing in person at this very special screening!

TV Feature: The 10 Best TV Shows of 2012

CHICAGO – Zombies. Dragons. Gangsters. Meth dealers. David Lynch. It was a weird year for television. Was it a good year? Sorta. It was nowhere near the landmark year of 2011 but there was still a lot to like and it was easy to get to 30 shows worth mentioning.

Film Review: Jingoistic ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Highlights the Mission

CHICAGO – Despite an obsession for killing a single man to represent a foggy revenge, “Zero Dark Thirty” is an effective thriller in the actual re-creation of that Navy Seal operation. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”), the all-star cast is led by a miscast Jessica Chastain.

Jingoistic ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Highlights the Mission

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

CHICAGO – Despite an obsession for killing a single man to represent a foggy revenge, “Zero Dark Thirty” is an effective thriller in the actual re-creation of that Navy Seal operation. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”), the all-star cast is led by a miscast Jessica Chastain.

Blu-ray Review: Laughs as Elusive as Acorns in ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’

Ice Age Continental Drift Blu-ray

CHICAGO – It ain’t over until the fat mammoth sings, and that’s precisely what happens—more or less—in “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” the fourth installment of Blue Sky Studios’ increasingly tedious, decade-old franchise. Why can’t any of Pixar’s rival animation studios come up with a marketable formula better than Celebrities Voicing Animals Delivering Tired Sitcom Dialogue?

Blu-ray Review: Deplorable ‘Butter’ Deserves to be Recalled

Butter Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Liberals have it easy at the movies. They can go an entire year without having to endure more than a handful of films attacking their ideology with varying degrees of intelligence. For every “An American Carol” or “Atlas Shrugged,” there are countless other pictures portraying rural right-wingers as simple-minded morons.

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