Freddie Highmore

CHICAGO – Poor George Zinavoy. He’s been cursed with striking good looks, remarkable artistic talent, a dedicated mentor and a gorgeous woman who clearly desires to have sex with him. Thankfully, nothing appears to have gotten in the way of his stubborn pessimism, comfortable apathy and belief in the meaningless of existence. How can George be expected to care about his homework when he’s too busy contemplating his mortality?

CHICAGO – Two beloved Tim Burton films recently made their Blu-ray debuts and the once-great director has one of the most interesting visual sensibilities in the last thirty years, making his work a perfect fit for HD. Even the deeply-flawed “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” looks great in HD and, well, there’s a soft spot in this critic’s heart for Pee-Wee Herman’s film debut, a comedy that has held up remarkably well in the 26 years (!!!) since its release. Both of these Blu-ray editions are pure imports with no new special features but you might want to add at least one to your collection.

CHICAGO – The angst ridden, doom-and-gloom adolescent has been fodder for the movies ever since teenagers were invented. From James Dean to “Heathers,” the juvenile anti-hero trying to figure out life has lit up the screen. Freddie Highmore takes his turn in “The Art of Getting By.”

CHICAGO – In our latest romance edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes up for grabs to the film “The Art of Getting By”!

CHICAGO – The cartoon universe is replete with superheroes, none more distinct than the title character in the new animated film “Astro Boy.” Based on a Japanese comic book from 1951, Astro Boy has new life in 3-D cartoon form.

CHICAGO – In our latest animated edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the new film “Astro Boy”!

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com publisher Adam Fendelman has interviewed “The Spiderwick Chronicles” writer and co-executive producer Holly Black about her first feature-film fantasy adaptation, why she loves fairies so much and how she developed the film’s unique characters.

CHICAGO – We just received word that 250 advance-screening tickets are now available for a free Chicago screening of “The Spiderwick Chronicles”. These tickets will surely go quickly, so if you’re interested in this film, follow the steps below with haste.

CHICAGO – Paramount Pictures on Wednesday released a flood of new production stills for the fantasy film “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” which stars Freddie Highmore, the voice of Seth Rogen, Mary-Louise Parker and the voice of Nick Nolte. The film opens on Feb. 14.

I just learned that “The Golden Compass,” which opens nationwide on Dec. 8, will have a national sneak in approximatley 800 theaters across the U.S. on Dec. 1.