CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Offers Ideal Vehicle For Matthew McConaughey
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 19, 2011 - 9:17amCHICAGO – It’s easy to forget just how good of an actor Matthew McConaughey can be with the right vehicle. He delivered what may be his best performance to date in Jill Sprecher’s 2001 multi-character drama “Thirteen Conversations About One Thing,” in which he played a slick lawyer whose unbreakable self-esteem is shattered by a sudden crisis of conscience.
DVD Round-Up: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2,’ ‘Medium,’ ‘Midnight Movie,’ More
Submitted by BrianTT on July 18, 2011 - 5:20pmCHICAGO – Did you miss the DVD Round-Up? Well, it’s back with as diverse a selection as we’ve seen in some time. The purpose of the DVD Round-Up is to catch the titles that might otherwise fall through the cracks. With everything going on this crazy summer, we may not have time to devote full-length reviews to these five possible gems but we wanted to make sure you knew they were out there, waiting for your hard-earned dollar.
Blu-Ray Review: HD Claustrophobia in Timeless ‘Das Boot’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 18, 2011 - 4:56pmCHICAGO – When one lists the most successful and beloved foreign films ever made, strong consideration must be given to Wolfgang Petersen’s “Das Boot,” a brilliant exercise in controlled claustrophobia that places the viewer in a German submarine as air and sanity becomes in increasingly shorter supply. This timeless film was recently-released in a stellar two-disc set from Sony and it’s a must-own for fans of the hit film.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘Romantics Anonymous’ at Chicago French Film Festival
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 18, 2011 - 4:46pmCHICAGO – In our special French film festival edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the Chicago showing of the film “Romantics Anonymous” at the opening night of the Music Box Theatre’s Chicago French Film Festival!
Blu-Ray Review: Ridiculous ‘The Warrior’s Way’ Works as Guilty Pleasure
Submitted by BrianTT on July 18, 2011 - 4:31pmCHICAGO – Singmoo Lee’s “The Warrior’s Way” is by no means a traditionally “good” movie but it does pass one basic test of escapist Blu-ray fare — I was never bored. And I was often entertained by the cheesy merging of styles on display in this hyper-stylized ninja western, a piece of work that could easily find a loyal audience on the home market. It was summarily ignored in theaters, being released at the very wrong time of the year as a particularly-healthy awards season was kicking up at the end of 2010, but it’s just silly enough in the right ways to work as a rental.
Film News: Official ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Teaser Trailer Hits Web in HD
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 18, 2011 - 12:47pmCHICAGO – Last Friday, we promised the official “The Dark Knight Rises” teaser trailer would be released online today. And moments ago, it just was in HD quality!
Interview: Matthew Lewis Reflects on Neville Longbottom, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 18, 2011 - 7:10amCHICAGO – Late in 2001’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” Albus Dumbledore reads off the House points earned by four heroic students. Three of them are easy to guess (Harry, Ron and Hermione), but the fourth comes as a shock: Neville Longbottom. The mousy, roly-poly boy had undergone the difficult task of standing up to his friends, not realizing that he would be rewarded for it.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Friends With Benefits’ With Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 15, 2011 - 4:28pmCHICAGO – In our latest romantic comedy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Friends With Benefits” starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis!
Film Feature: Why Studios Need to Start Working on New Harry Potter Movies Right Away
Submitted by BrianTT on July 15, 2011 - 2:54pmCHICAGO – It might sound like sacrilege (or even sound redundant) to say this, particularly on a day that sees the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two,” but I just have to say it - Daniel Radcliffe can’t be Harry Potter forever.
Film News: Official ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer Goes Online July 18, 2011
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 15, 2011 - 1:49pmCHICAGO – The official “The Dark Knight Rises” trailer will be released online this Monday, according to The Film Stage, which is citing an official date confirmation from Warner Bros. after being contacted by the studio to remove Wednesday’s bootlegged trailer.
Film Review: Hip-Hop Gets Personal in ‘Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 15, 2011 - 12:50pmCHICAGO – Fueling his passion for hip-hop, director Michael Rapaport premieres his new documentary, “Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest”. Proving that show biz never changes despite the category, this is a backstage look at the triumphs, misunderstandings, fall and rise again of the rap group “A Tribe Called Quest.”
TV Review: ‘Torchwood: Miracle Day’ Builds Up Steam With Second, Third Episodes
Submitted by BrianTT on July 15, 2011 - 12:38pmCHICAGO – We didn’t get the screener in time to give you a heads up about the series premiere of Starz’s “Torchwood: Miracle Day” but we have seen episodes two and three and have some good news to end this long week — if you liked the first episode, don’t worry. It definitely doesn’t drop in quality. And if you worried a bit after that premiere that this wasn’t the same “Torchwood” you knew and loved, fret not, the program starts to really get into gear by the end of the third chapter and there’s little reason to be concerned.
TV Review: Second Season of ‘Haven’ Premieres on SyFy
Submitted by BrianTT on July 15, 2011 - 12:09pmCHICAGO – The first season of “Haven” (recently released on Blu-ray and DVD) ended with a number of cliffhangers and the new season picks up, literally, right where it left off with guns pulled and chaos imminent in the town of Haven. Sadly, it also picks up with a similarly frustrating level of quality. This is a show that just doesn’t click, whether it’s the awkward performances or unbelievable dialogue. I want to like “Haven” but it’s a town I just can’t recommend visiting.
