HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News

CHICAGO – The rise of Zac Efron has been one of the more interesting movie stories of the past year. Fresh from his notable role in “Me and Orson Welles,’ Efron takes the lead in “Charlie St. Cloud,” with veteran actors Ray Liotta and Kim Basinger. This journey into afterlife issues highlights some nice acting chops from Efron.

CHICAGO – The third of the Steve Carrell Seasonal Movie Trilogy debuts with the uneven but absurd comedy “Dinner for Schmucks.” Paul Rudd, now the go-to actor for straight-man-yuppie-turned-wild-dude joins a strong cast, including the ubiquitous Zach Galifianakis, Jemaine (”Flight of the Concords”) Clement and Bruce Greenwood.

CHICAGO – As someone who has often gone home with a straight-to-DVD action movie that I hadn’t heard of before entering the video store, I know how easy it is to get drawn into something that looks a little bit left-of-center. “Operation: Endgame” is undeniably unusual but that doesn’t mean it’s any good.

CHICAGO – “Ninety-Nine Nights II” is one of the most frustrating major releases in a long time due to the unfulfilled potential of the title and inconsistent gameplay that could easily force a player to throw their controller at the screen in dismay if they’re not too bored to do so. With unrefined controls, mediocre graphics, and forgettable storytelling, this is easily one of the biggest disappointments of the season.

CHICAGO – When did all slasher pics from the early ’80s become “cult classics”? You will find very few people as well-versed in the sub-genre as this writer who will gladly contrast and compare “Friday the 13th” sequels or discuss the merits of “April Fool’s Day,” “Basket Case,” and “My Bloody Valentine.” And yet not every film from the era deserves a cult following merely because it has grisly deaths, some T&A, and a twist ending. For example, take “The Prowler,” now out on Blu-ray from the great Blue Underground.

CHICAGO – After being unofficially named the “Untitled Cheating Project” and “Cheaters,” Universal Pictures told HollywoodChicago.com on Thursday that the official name of Ron Howard’s Chicago-filmed picture has changed from “What You Don’t Know” to “The Dilemma”.

CHICAGO – The 1960s movie stars, captured forever on celluloid in their era, still thrive and survive. At the recent Hollywood Celebrities & Memorabilia Show, Oscar winner George Kennedy (”Cool Hand Luke”) and cult star Carol Lynley (”Bunny Lake is Missing”) spoke about the long time passing 1960s.

CHICAGO – There’s a great moment early on in “The Runaways” where fifteen-year-old Cherie Currie lip-syncs to Davie Bowie’s “Lady Grinning Soul” at a high school talent show. Her hardened baby face defiantly stares into the crowd, as her peers accompany the performance with catcalls. Yet instead of dissolving into a puddle of girlish tears, Currie flips off the surrounding student body. She clearly doesn’t give a d—n about her bad reputation.

CHICAGO – “Fairytales should really be updated,” muses the puckish Shrek during a final plea for the affections of a reluctant princess. It is one of those startlingly honest and quietly irreverent insights that “Shrek the Musical” is all too wary to boast, but is a welcome dagger into the cavalcade of childhood morality tales that, year after year, infiltrate the bulk of shooting star wishes and Barbie dream-houses.

CHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, we have 2 DVDs up for grabs to the new series “How the Earth Changed History” from BBC and National Geographic!

CHICAGO – Almost laughably trying to blend FOX hits “American Idol” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” the new cooking competition show “Masterchef,” which debuts on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010, is nowhere near as interesting as either and falls ridiculously flat when compared to the excellent “Top Chef.”

CHICAGO – When a movie named “Clash of the Titans” elicits little more than a shrug and a yawn, it’s clear that something went wrong. There’s nothing in this picture that mainstream audiences haven’t seen last year, last month, or in the theater next door. It is assembled entirely out of recycled parts, lurching from one familiar set-piece to the next, as the heroes repeatedly encounter, in the words of one character, “just another beast to kill.”

CHICAGO – With “Transformers 3” filming now in Chicago (and destroying our Magnificent Mile in the name of blockbuster moviemaking), we’ve seen pictures pop up all across the Web of Michael Bay’s magic in action.