Alan Alda

Film Review: ‘The Longest Ride’ is a Journey to Nowhere

CHICAGO – “The Longest Ride” is sentimental schlockmeister Nicholas Sparks’ latest attempt to remix “The Notebook.” It’s got an old man recounting lost love, handwritten letters, young lovers kissing in the rain, breakups, reunions, corny dialogue and of course those North Carolina backdrops. He’s playing all the same notes, but this time he’s lost the melody.

Blu-ray Review: Take Trip Off the Grid with Funny ‘Wanderlust’

Wanderlust

CHICAGO – David Wain’s “Wanderlust” got screwed by Universal. There’s no reason that a movie this generally funny, smart, and enjoyable should only make just over $20 million worldwide. It’s the kind of solid comedy that is guaranteed a wider audience on Blu-ray and DVD. And the Universal Blu-ray is a strong enough one to help deserved word-of-mouth grow.

Blu-ray Review: Stellar Ensemble Elevates Relatively Routine ‘Tower Heist’

Tower Heist

CHICAGO – Brett Ratner’s “Tower Heist” features a LOT of actors who have proven talents but haven’t made the best career decisions of late. The number of disappointing films that star Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, and Tea Leoni could fill a film festival in Hell. And Ratner has committed his own crimes against celluloid. So, I was dreading “Tower Heist.” There’s nothing to dread here.

Film Review: Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston Take Funny Trip to Hippie Nirvana in ‘Wanderlust’

CHICAGO – David Wain’s “Wanderlust” is a deeply flawed movie. The female lead is woefully underwritten and the script pretty much falls apart at the end as characters do things they wouldn’t do and it rushes to its credits to wrap everything up in an awkward montage. But here’s the thing – it’s also DAMN funny.

Film Review: Ben Stiller in ‘Tower Heist’ is a Waste of Time, Talent

CHICAGO – The frustrating madness that is the typical Hollywood movie never ceases to amaze, in the sense where large sums of cash are outlaid to pair the right movie stars together, and not one wit is expended to create an interesting or cohesive story. “Tower Heist” is the latest example of this sad trend.

TV News: Ben Stiller, Anna Faris to Host ‘Saturday Night Live’ in Oct. 2011

Ben Stiller

CHICAGONBC announced Monday morning that actor Ben Stiller and actress Anna Faris are slated to host “Saturday Night Live” in October. The announcement also stated that Foster the People would be the musical guest in Stiller’s show, and Drake would perform when Faris hosts.

DVD Review: Greg Kinnear’s Feel-Good ‘Flash of Genius’ Not Great

HollywoodChicago.com DVD Rating: 2.5/5.0
DVD Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGOGreg Kinnear does solidly entertaining work in “Flash of Genius” and director Marc Abraham understands the basics of the inspirational crowd-pleaser, but the film ultimately feels like a missed opportunity to tell a more riveting version of the same story.

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