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Blu-Ray Reviews: Sci-Fi Catalog Releases Including ‘Matrix Reloaded,’ ‘THX 1138’

Forbidden Planet

CHICAGO – Warner Brothers recently unveiled a slate of science fiction films, many of which are making their debut on Blu-ray or are being made available on their own for the first time. Check out the HD releases of “Forbidden Planet,” “Lost in Space,” “Mars Attacks!,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “A Scanner Darkly,” and “THX 1138: Director’s Cut.”

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond’ Revives Lost Play

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond Blu-Ray

CHICAGO – Ever since Tommy Wiseau declared that his masterpiece of ineptitude, “The Room,” was “filmed with the passion of Tennessee Williams,” I’ve become considerably more weary of any film that makes such an inflated claim. Of course, “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond” has a better defense, since it’s actually the adaptation of a long-forgotten work from the legendary playwright.

Alison Arngrim Interview: Nasty Nellie on ‘Little House on the Prairie’

CHICAGO – For every nice girl on the prairie, there needed to be an evil opposite who wasn’t so nice. Nellie Oleson was that nasty girl on the NBC-TV legend “Little House on the Prairie, and Alison Arngrim portrayed her. She has parlayed that long ago child actor part into a stand-up routine and new memoir about her experiences.

Film Review: Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck Annoy in Worthless ‘I’m Still Here’

CHICAGO – Is “I’m Still Here,” the story of Joaquin Phoenix’s attempts to leave behind his acting career and try to make it as a hip-hop star, an elaborate piece of performance art or a documentary about an identity crisis of a man committing professional suicide? The problem is that the answer is irrelevant. Either way, “I’m Still Here” is grating, boring, and completely without value.

Famed Chicago Film Critic Roger Ebert Announces New Weekly Movie Review Show on Public TV

Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel at the movies

CHICAGO – “Roger Ebert Presents at the Movies,” which is a weekly, 30-minute film review program, was announced on Friday by producers Chaz Ebert and Roger Ebert. The program continues its 35-year run of a show first co-hosted by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert and later by Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper and others at Buena Vista Television/Disney.

Chicago Casting Call on Sept. 25, 2010 Announced For Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Contagion’ With Matt Damon

CHICAGO – Chicago is keeping Hollywood busy. Along with recent filming in the Windy City for Ron Howard’s “The Dilemma,” “Transformers 3” and FOX’s “Ride-Along” from the creator of “The Shield,” HollywoodChicago.com has just learned that Steven Soderbergh’s new film “Contagion” will be filming in Chicago and holding a local casting call here later this month.

Blu-Ray Review: Robert Altman’s ‘The Player’ Has Lost None of Its Power

The Player

CHICAGO – Robert Altman’s “The Player” is one of the more important and influential films in the life of this film critic. It came out at a time when the film industry was in a bit of a slump and stood out as an original, creative, mesmerizing vision that I feel helped usher in a period of such productivity in the ’90s. It is a brilliant masterpiece that has lost none of its power almost twenty years after its release.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?’

Why Did I Get Married Too?

CHICAGO – Tyler Perry’s films have been steadily improving but the ones that work still rely heavily on their leading ladies – for example, Taraji P. Henson in “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” and Angela Bassett in “Meet the Browns.” The quartet of women in “Why Did I Get Married Too?” can’t elevate the substandard writing and cheap cliche in the same way and the dramedy ends up one of Perry’s worst in years.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Solitary Man’ Showcases Michael Douglas at His Best

Solitary Man Blu-Ray Thumb

CHICAGO – Michael Douglas is so good at playing a particular type of character that it’s easy to forget just how good of an actor he is. While his father seemed capable of playing any role, from van Gogh to Spartacus, Douglas has specialized in playing suave scoundrels with slicked back hair, a snakelike voice, and a sinfully seductive belief in the inherent goodness of greed.

TV Review: Maggie Q Provides Guilty Pleasure Thrills in ‘Nikita’

CHICAGO – There are certain programs that are easy for a critic to defend on the strength of their ensemble, the brilliance of their writing, or other easily identifiable elements that make them “work.”

Exclusive Portrait: Megadeth Metal Guitarist Dave Mustaine

Dave Mustaine, photograph by Joe Arce

CHICAGO – Head banging and air guitaring was the order of the day a couple weeks ago, as Dave Mustaine of the group Megadeth made an appearance at the Borders Books in Chicago on State Street to greet fans and sign his new book, “Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir.”

DVD Review: ‘The Lottery’ Sings Bittersweet Praise For Charter Schools

The Lottery DVD Thumb

CHICAGO – The little boy looks intently at his hand. He’s trying with all his might to solve a math problem posed by his father, whose tenderness and patience have begun to reach their breaking point. As the camera closes in on the boy’s face, his eyes glisten with frustration until his mind reaches an epiphany: 2 plus 3 equals 5. In that one beautiful shot, the miracle of learning is captured on film.

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  • 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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