DVD & Blu-Ray Review

Blu-Ray Review: Horror of ‘Mirrors’ Shatters on Closer Inspection

Mirrors

CHICAGO – “Mirrors” is a so-so horror movie helped a bit by its interesting director’s visual flourishes and a better-than-average ensemble but ultimately shattered by an incoherent screenplay and dialogue that is more likely to produce laughter than shivers.

Blu-Ray Review: Valentine’s Day Gift Lists Start With ‘The Notebook’

Notebook

CHICAGO – It may not have been a massive hit when it was first released, but in just a few short years, “The Notebook” has become one of the more beloved romantic dramas of the last few decades. People adore The Notebook, propelling the film to a sales total of more than nine million units to date.

DVD Review: Catch Current Season of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Before Mid-Season Premiere

BSG 4
HollywoodChicago.com DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0
DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Battlestar Galactica” returns to the Sci-Fi Channel on January 16th, 2009, at 9pm CST for the final arc of episodes of the beloved series. There’s still time to catch up with season 4.0 before the mid-season premiere of 4.5 in an excellent TV set from Universal.

DVD, Blu-Ray Round Up, Jan. 13, 2009: ‘My Best Friend’s Girl,’ ‘My Bloody Valentine,’ ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

My Bloody Original

CHICAGO – Audrey Hepburn and Dane Cook. You won’t find that kind of variety too many places outside of HollywoodChicago’s DVD & Blu-Ray Round-Up. From serial killers to musicals to a British import, this week’s round-up features an exciting variety of titles.

Blu-Ray Review: Vin Diesel’s ‘Babylon A.D.’ Passable Only in High-Definition

Babylon

CHICAGO – When did Vin Diesel go from “the next Bruce Willis” to the “the current Steven Seagal”? Diesel’s half-asleep, apathetic performance in the sci-fi action flick “Babylon A.D.” is only one of the problems with a film that was ignored in theaters but has been given a respectable treatment on Blu-Ray.

DVD Review: New Version of ‘Brideshead Revisited’ Worth a Look

Brideshead

CHICAGO – The BBC mini-series adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited” is so beloved that the new version with Matthew Goode, Hayley Atwell, Ben Whishaw, Emma Thompson, and Michael Gambon was doomed from the beginning. Miramax has done the filmmakers a disservice by releasing their work only on standard DVD, but fans of period pieces or classic literature should give Julian Jarrold’s film a chance.

DVD Review: Bumpy Ride to ‘Appaloosa’ is Worth the Trip

Appaloosa

CHICAGO – I expect “Appaloosa” to be one of the more hard-to-get movies at your local video stores for the next few months. It’s the kind of movie - action-driven and widely missed in theaters - that does very well on the home market. Renters will find an old-fashioned Western that may not transcend its genre but will certainly provide more than enough entertainment on a snowy winter’s eve.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Righteous Kill’ Represents New Low For Talented Actors

Righteous Kill

CHICAGO – “Is it killing time or is he just killing time?” If you don’t groan at a line of dialogue that shockingly horrendous then we’ve got a Blu-Ray release for you. Marking a new low in a baffling series of career decisions for two of the best actors of all time, “Righteous Kill” is as much an unqualified disaster on Blu-Ray as it was when critics ridiculed it and audiences ignored it in theaters.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Swing Vote’ Wastes Great Cast on Predictable Script

Swing Vote

CHICAGO – Joshua Michael Stern’s “Swing Vote” hit theaters at the peak of the Presidential campaign and it’s no coincidence that the Blu-Ray release lands in stores a week before President-Elect Obama takes office. With a great ensemble and old-fashioned sensibility, “Swing Vote” is a film that should work. Like a misguided campaign for office, it just doesn’t come together.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Wackness’ Releases Dope Features For Slightly Wack Movie

The Wackness

CHICAGO – The coming-of-age comedy “The Wackness” with Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Olivia Thirlby, Mary-Kate Olsen, Method Man, and Famke Janssen may feature a bouncing hip-hop soundtrack and be about joyful things like first love, but it’s an oddly inert, haze-filled film, as if the regular marijuana usage in the film cast a haze over the entire project.

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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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