HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News

Annoyingly Inept ‘After.Life’ Bores Audience to Death

After.Life
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.0/5.0
Rating: 1.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “After.Life” is one of the first truly awful films of 2010. Its aggressive solemnity combined with its head-slapping silliness will cause most viewers to simply laugh it off the screen. There’s at least two possible ways to interpret its murky story, and they’re both ludicrous. The only mystery guaranteed to linger in moviegoers’ minds is the inexplicable motivation of Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson to take part in this direct-to-video dreck.

Touching ‘The Greatest’ With Carey Mulligan Transcends Melodrama

The Greatest
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – The surprisingly good “The Greatest” opens and closes with two very different car rides — one silent and mournful and one loud and full of laughter; one on the way from death and one on the way to life. They are bookends for a well-performed tearjerker of the kind that mostly transcends its melodramatic set-up to become something genuinely moving.

Steve Carrell, Tina Fey Go Dutch on the Laughs in ‘Date Night’

CHICAGO – In this schizophrenic film, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey portray a “normal” couple from New Jersey who somehow become Steve Carrell and Tina Fey once they go on-the-town in New York City during “Date Night.”

Exclusive Portrait: Shaquille O’Neal at Borders Book Signing in Chicago

CHICAGO – Shaquille O’Neal AKA Shaq AKA Shaq-Fu, is a famous basketballer known by many names. Currently with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he took a break to be with his mother, Lucille O’Neal, as they appeared at Borders Books.

Video Game Review: Repetitive, Disappointing ‘How to Train Your Dragon’

How to Train Your Dragon Video Game

CHICAGO – DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” is one of the best movies of the year to date; a remarkably enjoyable experience that works for children and adults and deserves to be doing even better at the box office. Don’t miss it while you still have the chance. The game that ties in with it? You can miss that.

DVD Review: ‘After Dark Horrorfest 4’ a Typical Mixed Bag

Lake Mungo

CHICAGO – We’ve spent the last few weeks working our way through the fourth collection of the series subtitled “8 Films to Die For” and found a few highlights and lowlights of the fourth annual “After Dark Horrorfest” that we would are now unafraid to share.

Interview With Richard Chamberlain: From Dr. Kildare to Beyond

CHICAGO – Still regal and debonair, Richard Chamberlain has graced both the screen and television with a memorable presence that has spanned 50 years. He recently introduced “The Four Musketeers” at The Hollywood Palms in Naperville, Illinois.

DVD Review: ‘The Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers’

The Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers

CHICAGO – Timed perfectly for both the start of the 2010 Major League Baseball season and with Father’s Day only a few months away, MLB’s “The Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers” box set is the perfect gift idea for the member of your family who follows America’s pasttime, even if they’re not the biggest fan of one of the most popular sports teams of the last century.

Blu-Ray Review: Award-Winning ‘An Education’ With Carey Mulligan

An Education

CHICAGO – Lone Scherfig’s “An Education” should have won two of the Academy Awards for which it was nominated: Best Actress for the star-making work by Carey Mulligan and Best Adapted Screenplay for the fantastic script by Nick Hornby. It easily one of the best films of 2009 (my personal pick for #5 on the year) and a must-see on Blu-ray and DVD.

Interview: Creative Director Richard Taylor of Weta, ‘Lord of the Rings’

CHICAGO – With the heralded release this week of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy on Blu-ray DVD, the opportunity to appreciate the epic scope of the visionary Middle Earth in the home theater has never been so highly rendered.

DVD Review: ‘Séraphine’ Paints a Beautiful Portrait of an Artistic Mind

Seraphine DVD

CHICAGO – Her eyes are always looking forward, as if they possess the ability to peer into the parallel dimension next door. She feels most alive in the presence of nature, and feels great joy in recreating images of god’s creation. Her closest acquaintances seem to be of an otherworldly essence, and she acknowledges them every time her twinkly gaze is directed toward the sky.

Video Game Review: Explosive Good Time With ‘Just Cause 2’

CHICAGO – With elements of “Grand Theft Auto IV,” “Far Cry 2,” and “Red Faction Guerilla,” the excellent “Just Cause 2” delivers for gamers looking for an extensive, explosive open world experience. Incredibly detailed and filled with a variety of mission types, “Just Cause 2” consistently entertains despite a few notable flaws.

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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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