Eva Mendes

CHICAGO – Timed to coincide with Fox’s release of “Machete,” Sony has released three of director Robert Rodriguez’s earlier action extravaganzas on two releases — a double feature of “El Mariachi” and “Desperado” to sit next to your new copy of “Once Upon a Time in Mexico.” Both releases feature more special features and arguably better HD transfers than Rodriguez’s 2010 film and could be the better choice for your Blu-ray dollar than “Machete.”

CHICAGO – What does a smart man like Will Ferrell do after a total disaster like “Land of the Lost”? Return to the man who has proven that he knows how to use him best, regular collaborator Adam McKay (“Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights,” “Step Brothers”), delivering the laughs that his fans have come to expect and even a few that they won’t see coming. Recently released on DVD and Blu-ray, “The Other Guys” is a funny movie with a few too many jokes that hit the floor to be considered great but an entertaining diversion nonetheless.

CHICAGO – While a cop film take-off is filed under the fish-in-a-barrel category, writer/director Adam McKay manages to spin some absurd gold threads into the thin blue cloth. In other words, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are damn funny in this all-in cop farce, with enough familiar co-star support to prop up the whole enchilada.

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Mark Wahlberg, left, and Will Ferrell in Columbia Pictures comedy The Other Guys.

CHICAGO – This 15-image slideshow contains all of the official press images for the highly anticipated The Other Guys, starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, with Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. The film was written by Adam McKay & Chris Henchy and directed by McKay. It will be released on August 6th, 2010.

CHICAGO – 2010 is clearly the year of New Orleans with a Saints Superbowl victory, HBO’s highly acclaimed “Treme” debuting this Sunday and the highly underrated and somewhat excellent “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes, debuting on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow, April 6th, 2010.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Frank Miller’s “The Spirit” is far-from-perfect. The attempts at goofy humor fall flat, the script is wildly uneven, and Gabriel Macht is deadly dull in the title role, but there’s way more to like here than I expected after missing it in theaters and hearing all the horrendous buzz from its initial release. It may not be great, but “The Spirit” could surprise you too. It’s a mess, but it’s kind of a beautiful mess, especially in HD.

CHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have an extra-unique 20 VIP grand-prize packs up for grabs for Frank Miller’s “The Spirit”.

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Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus in The Spirit.

CHICAGO – This 18-image slideshow contains official press images for “The Spirit,” which stars Gabriel Macht, Eva Mendea, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johannson, Sarah Paulson, Jamie King, Pax Vega, Stana Katic, and Louis Lombardi from director-writer Frank Miller. The film opens on Dec. 25, 2008.