Elijah Wood

CHICAGO — Warner Bros. Pictures geared up for the release of Peter Jackson’s upcoming epic “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” by screening 10 minutes of never-before-seen footage at CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) according to a studio press release. Ian McKellan, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood return to reprise their roles as seen in the trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”, the sequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”.

CHICAGO – Pick your pun — “Happy Feet Two” stumbles, trips, and has two left feet when compared to the Academy Award-winning original. Cluttered with characters, poorly paced, and tonally inconsistent, George Miller’s follow-up to his massive hit barely registered in theaters, but comes home with a pretty strong Blu-ray release from Warner Bros.

CHICAGO – Dancing animated penguins, a tradition dating back to Disney’s “Mary Poppins” and brought to further life in the first “Happy Feet” movie, finds more stepping pep in “Happy Feet Two.” Robin Williams and Elijah Wood return to lend their vocal talents in this enjoyable sequel.

CHICAGO – A few times every year, a box set comes into our office that simply feels beyond review. What is there to say about something as notable as the “Alien Quadrilogy” with its five days worth of special features or the gorgeous set for the “Back to the Future” movies? They’re must-owns that are beyond any minor criticism. Such is also the case with Warner Bros.’ recently-released set for the extended editions of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” films. If you own a Blu-ray player, it’s incomplete without this box set. It’s that simple.

CHICAGO – FX has developed a nice comedy niche, taking greater risks than most other networks and seeing them pay off with hits like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “The League,” and “Archer.”

CHICAGO – In this edition of the HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, one lucky winner will clean up with three DVDs from Magnolia Pictures for the movies “Donkey Punch,” “Severance” and “Splinter” plus a full-size poster for “The Oxford Murders” signed by cult-favorite director Álex de la Iglesia!

CHICAGO – The first words we hear are those of the beguiling elf Galadriel, whose ethereal voice haunts an empty screen while declaring, “The world is changed.” And so it had in December 2001, when Americans were reeling from 9/11, and more eager than ever to escape into a fantasy where moral certainty was never in doubt, and pure-hearted heroes clung to the belief that there was still good in the world, and it was worth fighting for.

CHICAGO – Seventy years ago, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released a haunting animated short named “Peace On Earth.” Director Hugh Harman set his story in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited only by animals, who have rebuilt a society dedicated to peace and nonviolence. Mankind ultimately brought about their own extinction by forging never-ending wars.

CHICAGO – In our latest animated edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the Chicago screening of the new animated film “9” from producers Tim Burton of “Beetlejuice” and Timur Bekmambetov of “Wanted”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Sin City - Recut, Extended, Unrated” was one of the best DVD box sets in the history of the format. Most collectors interested in the Blu-Ray upgrade of the title will probably already own the box set that came with an entire graphic novel and is currently anchoring many a respectable DVD shelf. The Blu-Ray release features two new special features and, of course, HD picture and sound. Should you upgrade?