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Blu-ray Review: Crowd-Pleasing ‘People Like Us’ Deserved Better Fate

People Like Us

CHICAGO – The companies behind Alex Kurtzman’s “People Like Us” had no idea what to do with their crowd-pleasing melodrama, arguably releasing it at the worst possible time of the year for a tiny movie to not get swept away by bigger blockbusters. The result was a dud in theaters but should get strong word-of-mouth on the home market, helped amply by a stellar Blu-ray/DVD release.

Film Review: ‘Pitch Perfect’ Succeeds By Making Fun of Itself

CHICAGO – When we last saw Anna Kendrick, she was the mid-twentysomething girlfriend of cop Jake Gyllenhaal in “End of Watch.” This week, she reverts back to freshman year in college, portraying a rebellious D.J. and songstress in the not-taking-themselves-seriously “Pitch Perfect.”

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes to ‘Pitch Perfect’ With Anna Kendrick

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the new singing comedy “Pitch Perfect” starring Anna Kendrick!

Blu-ray Review: ‘The Hunger Games’ Given Stellar Two-Disc Edition

CHICAGO – Can a Blu-ray be both great and a likely placeholder for a future Special Edition? “The Hunger Games” makes that case. The lack of a commentary track or deleted scenes (and Lionsgate’s double-dipping track record) lead one to believe that a Special Edition will likely hit stores in conjunction with “Catching Fire” but this is still a great release with hours of special features and a stellar HD video and audio transfer.

Film Review: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks in Moving ‘People Like Us’

People Like Us
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “People Like Us” is an old-fashioned tearjerker with everything that phrase implies. It’s undeniably manipulative and sentimental but it’s also somewhat refreshing to see a drama that isn’t laced with irony, cynicism, or some form of postmodern commentary on the genre. “People Like Us” is a film that wants you to be moved; it wants you to cry; it wants you to feel something. Some audiences will be turned off by the blatant melodrama but the honest approach works for me and the strong performances from the cast clearly enlivened by the material elevates it beyond processed cheese.

Interview: Chris Pine, Alex Kurtzman Find ‘People Like Us’

CHICAGO – Writer/director Alex Kurtzman has been an incredibly powerful creative voice in the world of sci-fi from TV’s “Fringe” to film’s “Star Trek” & “Transformers” but his new work comes from someplace much more personal. Starring Chris Pine, “People Like Us” was born from Kurtzman’s own desire to find the half-siblings that his father had left behind years earlier.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Man on a Ledge’ Jumps Into Convoluted Abyss

Man on a Ledge with Sam Worthington

CHICAGO – “Man on a Ledge” wants to be “Dog Day Afternoon” for the ’10s recession (it’s not coincidental that a man screams “Attica!” at one point). A tale of a man screwed by a corrupt system who stages a complex heist and galvanizes the people of New York in the process could have worked so well. There are great actors and great ideas here. And there’s also the most convoluted, ridiculous, and poorly written script that I’ve suffered through in a very long time.

Blu-ray News: ‘The Hunger Games’ Comes to Stores on Aug. 18, 2012

Hunger Games

CHICAGO – Lionsgate announced 2-disc Blu-ray and DVD editions of their massive hit “The Hunger Games” to be released on August 18, 2012 complete with three hours of extensive bonus features. The highlight of the bonus material is an eight-part documentary called “The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games.”

Film Review: Boredom Awaits During ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ with Cameron Diaz

CHICAGO – “Battleship” is getting a lot of flack this week for having little to do with its alleged source. I would argue that the awful “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is even more dishonest when it comes to its inspiration.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 30 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated new comedy “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”!


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TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Open Road Blu-ray

    CHICAGO – So you’re a young woman who decides to fall asleep in your car parked just off the highway. You’re awoken by the rapping fist of a chiseled cop who leers at you with the sexual appetite of a drooling wolf. Sounds like a meet cute straight out of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” But in Marcio Garcia’s head-slapping dud, “Open Road,” it’s supposed to be heartwarming.

  • Hostages

    CHICAGO – The five broadcast networks have announced their Fall 2013 schedules and so it’s now easy to see them night by night, timeslot by timeslot. Which timeslots seem the most competitive? Do you know what you’re going to watch or schedule in your DVR? Here’s the chart you need to figure it out.

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