Alien

CHICAGO – I’m old enough dear readers to remember when books were more interesting tie-ins for feature films than websites and video games. When we fell in love with a movie, we had action figures, Happy Meal toys, and, believe it or not, books. There was a time when collecting everything related to your favorite flick meant a novel adaptation and one of the absolute best, the graphic novel edition known as “Alien: The Illustrated Story” has just been reissued to show readers why this is an art form they should miss.

CHICAGO – How excited are you for “Prometheus”? The highly-anticipated Ridley Scott prequel to one of the most influential films ever made, his masterful “Alien,” will finally hit domestic theaters on June 8, 2012 (we’ve seen it and will have a review for you on Thursday). Are you ready? Have you watched the Quarilogy again? What else can you do to prepare?

CHICAGO – In our latest concert edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Music, we have 3 prize packs up for grabs to the holiday show of the comic rock spectacle “Alien Queen: The Concert” at Metro!

CHICAGO – As more and more homes become HD-enabled, the Blu-ray market has finally started to expand to the point that it’s getting difficult to narrow a list of the best releases down to only ten. But that’s what we’re here for — to do the difficult jobs. These are the ten best Blu-rays of 2010.

CHICAGO – I’ve reviewed hundreds of DVDs and Blu-ray box sets and I can’t think of any that top the HD release of “Alien Anthology,” an amazing release that should stand alone at the top of all holiday season wish lists and be one of the first purchases that happen after you buy a Blu-ray player.

CHICAGO – Christian Alvart’s “Pandorum” is the kind of efficient time-waster that sucks you in, spits you out, and leaves you two hours older. There’s nothing that can be said in its favor, apart from the fact that its not offensively awful (like the producers’ “Resident Evil” franchise). But it is thoroughly mediocre, and for some viewers, mediocrity is offensive enough.

CHICAGO – With “Star Trek,” “Terminator: Salvation,” and now Duncan Jones’ “Moon,” it’s been a good season for science fiction fans. Jones’ directorial debut is a stunning piece of psychological sci-fi about a man who is literally being replaced by a younger version of himself.