Brian Cox

CHICAGO – I’ll never forget the moment I became a fan of Ralph Fiennes. It was while watching the behind-the-scenes documentary on the “Prince of Egypt” DVD. He was voicing the scene where his character, Ramses, shouts at Moses across the Red Sea. As he stood next to the mic, Fiennes’ entire body underwent a transformation, as if he were summoning a storm that coursed through his veins. He then let out the sort of howl that could easily part water.

CHICAGO – Back in 1993, Bullfrog Productions developed a game called “Syndicate”; an isometric real-time tactical game where the player is in charge of a corporation that sends cyborg agents on deadly missions. The player’s goal was to lead his agents on missions to benefit their own syndicate corporation and harm competing syndicates.

CHICAGO – The plays of William Shakespeare, influencing culture and morality for over 400 years, continue to open themselves up to new interpretations and settings. Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in a film version adaptation of “Coriolanus,” set against the modern day machinations of politics and war.

CHICAGO – Have a gift card burning a hole in your wallet? Want a new movie? There are few better options for new release Blu-rays than Fox’s stellar reboot, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” one of the most surprising critical and commercial smashes of 2011. The special features are extensive and impressive and the movie holds up remarkably on repeat viewing. Expertly directed by Rupart Wyatt, who perfectly choreographs amazing cinematography and effects work,and featuring a landmark mo-cap performance from Andy Serkis, this isn’t just a must-see, it’s a must-own.

CHICAGO – “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is spectacular entertainment, a perfect capper to the blockbuster season that is arguably the most purely enjoyable film of the warmer months of 2011. Rupert Wyatt’s highly-anticipated prequel is an old-fashioned piece of sci-fi escapism made with some of the revolutionary new toys available to special effects artists.

CHICAGO – In our latest action/drama/sci-fi edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two advance-screening passes up for grabs to the early Chicago screening of the new film “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” starring James Franco!

CHICAGO – They say you can learn as much from a bad movie as you can from a good one. If that’s true, what’s the lesson to be taken from the extremely boring and misguided “Red”?

CHICAGO – The Universal release of “The Bourne Trilogy” was not only one of the best Blu-ray titles of 2009 but it’s still one of the best box sets on the HD market twelve months later. The question is how does Universal continue to make a dime on the Matt Damon juggernaut of a franchise while we wait for the latest drama regarding the potential fourth film. Welcome to the Bourne flipper discs.

CHICAGO – From producer Bryan Singer (“X-Men,” “Superman Returns”), “Trick ‘r Treat” is a fantastic horror anthology film that has inexplicably been rolling around the Warner Bros. offices for years, having initially been scheduled for release back in 2007. Finally getting a Halloween-tied Blu-Ray release, this is one of the best straight-to-DVD horror flicks in years, a consistently clever and enjoyable genre entry that will have horror fans screaming in glee this holiday season.

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – You won’t see many shows much more ambitious than NBC’s “Kings”. The multi-character drama borrows from the story of King David to create a tapestry piece about power, corruption, and war. It’s dense, layered, complex storytelling that you rarely see on network television.