HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News

DVD Review: Amazing ‘The Hurt Locker’ Should Rock on Home Market

The Hurt Locker

CHICAGO – The most critically acclaimed film of the year, Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” is finally available on DVD and Blu-ray. The war movie made a measly $13 million in theaters, a number that has been thrown around several times as to why the film won’t win the Oscar for Best Picture. Millions of viewers will catch up to this modern masterpiece on DVD and Blu-ray and regret not having experienced it in theaters.

Blu-Ray Review: Disappointing ‘Jennifer’s Body’ is Dead on Arrival

Jennifer's Body Blu-Ray

CHICAGO – When Quentin Tarantino sets out to write a World War II thriller set in Nazi-occupied France, he can’t help turning it into a hip commentary on war films. Similarly, when Diablo Cody sets out to write a straightforward horror picture about teenage angst, she can’t help turning it into a snarky farce, featuring characters who wisecrack to the bloody end.

Blu-Ray Review: John Wayne, David Janssen in Controversial ‘The Green Berets’

The Green Berets

CHICAGO – Why some films are released on Blu-ray while others languish unavailable even on standard DVD can be quite mysterious. Take for example the recent release of John Wayne’s controversial war film “The Green Berets,” a slice of war propaganda designed to pump up American support of our involvement in Vietnam.

TV Review: ‘Big Love’ Starts Promising Fourth Season, Great Third Now on DVD

CHICAGO – It took me some time to get on the “Big Love” wavelength. HBO’s controversial show hasn’t really been on my radar since its debut season, one that I thought featured a great cast but underdeveloped dramatic potential.

TV Review: Confident, Clever ‘Chuck’ Returns With New Energy

Chuck: Season Three Premiere

CHICAGO – After a second season that saw already-low ratings decline, NBC took a chance by bringing “Chuck” back for a third, shortened season. As the network has struggled this year due to a number of horrible decisions (most of them related to Jay Leno), most of its lineup has been hit. Let’s hope “Chuck” bucks the trend because this cult hit has arguably never been better.

Original, Stylish ‘Daybreakers’ With Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe

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

CHICAGO – In the early part of the last decade, Michael and Peter Spierig (The Spierig Brothers) debuted with the unique zombie cult hit “Undead” and horror nuts waited to see what they’d do next. It took way too long but the brothers are back with the stylish, original “Daybreakers,” a vampire film that injects new life into an often-dead genre.

Heath Ledger Still Lives in ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’

Heath Ledger in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"

CHICAGO – Bogart, James Dean and Heath Ledger are not dead, they’re just stuck in the Netflix queue. And Ledger, with a little help from some friends, gets one more theatrical release in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”

Blu-Ray Review: ‘It Might Get Loud’ Climbs Stairway to Rock Heaven

It Might Get Loud

CHICAGO – “It Might Get Loud” might not be the great rock documentary fans were hoping for, but it’s still quintessential viewing for anyone mesmerized by the visceral power of the electric guitar.

HollywoodChicago.com’s Top 10 Films of 2009

CHICAGO – They came, we saw and in the end, who conquered? HollywoodChicago.com Senior Writer Patrick McDonald weighs in on the Top Ten of 2009. From the rich palette of choices, the challenge is always to winnow it down to ten.

Video Game Review: Atmospheric, Effective ‘Silent Hill: Shattered Memories’

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

CHICAGO – I used to approach a new “Silent Hill” game with heightened anticipation but the franchise has been so lifeless for the last few years that I somewhat dreaded entering its world again in the alleged reimagining of “Silent Hill: Shattered Memories,” now available for the Nintendo Wii. Much to my surprise, Konami’s latest is an effective, atmospheric title with only a few flaws.

TV Review: ‘Nip/Tuck’ Begins Final Season Without Much Fanfare

Nip/Tuck Final Season

CHICAGO – Ryan Murphy’s “Nip/Tuck” begins its final cosmetic procedure this evening, starting a nine-episode arc that will end this once-promising series that has been in need of a face lift for a few years now.

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TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • 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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