Hilary Swank

CHICAGO – By now, you’re surely aware of the general hatred for Garry Marshall’s horrendous ensemble romantic comedy “New Year’s Eve.” HollywoodChicago.com said ““New Year’s Eve” is so garish and manipulative that it doesn’t really qualify as a film – it’s a product, no more an actual movie than a Hallmark card is a piece of poetry.”

CHICAGO – “New Year’s Eve” is so garish and manipulative that it doesn’t really qualify as a film – it’s a product, no more an actual movie than a Hallmark card is a piece of poetry. It is corporate junk at its worst, so shallow that it’s almost remarkably thin, as if director Garry Marshall were trying to win a contest for lack of subtlety.

CHICAGO – “The Resident” is one of those thrillers in which you’re never supposed to be quite sure what the hell is going on and the deceptive description on the back of the box makes it sound like it could be a ghost story (as does the involvement of horror icon Christopher Lee). From the beginning, you’ll be asking yourself, is there something supernatural involved or is this more like “Sleeping With the Enemy” or “Psycho”? The answers come quickly and not in a very satisfying way.

CHICAGO – The incredible true story of Betty Anne Waters and her beloved brother Kenny has enough dramatic potential for any pair of talented actors and a competent director to turn it into quality cinema. The fact that director Tony Goldwyn is just barely competent enough to pull it off is off-set by the fact that he was smart enough to perfectly cast the piece, no more so than in the mega-talented leads, Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell.

CHICAGO – In our latest biography/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, we have 3 DVDs up for grabs to the new DVD “Conviction” with Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Melissa Leo!

CHICAGO – The United States, with the largest prison population in the Western world, obviously has used the system to incarcerate undesirables in the society, whether they are guilty or not. The access to real justice is played out in the cumbersome “Conviction,” featuring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Melissa Leo.

CHICAGO – In our latest biography/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Conviction” starring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher and Juliette Lewis!

CHICAGO – “Conviction” tells the true story of siblings Betty Anne (Hilary Swank) and Kenny (Sam Rockwell) Walters, and the quest of Betty Anne to free her brother from a prison sentence for murder. Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis lends her talent as key prosecution witness Roseanna Perry, and the film is directed by Tony Goldwyn.

CHICAGO – In many ways, Christopher Nolan’s “Insomnia,” recently released on beautiful Blu-ray, is the perfect companion piece to his new masterpiece, “Inception,” now playing in theaters. The film may not get the international attention of “The Dark Knight” but it stands as further proof that this man is one of our best living directors.

CHICAGO – It seems downright sad that “Amelia,” a movie that was so widely predicted to be a part of the 2009 awards season, would be released on Blu-ray and DVD on the same day as the Oscar announcements. On paper, “Amelia” seemed like Oscar bait through and through with important subject matter headlined by one of the few women to have more than one Oscar. On Blu-ray, it’s easy to see why this cinematic plane crashed and burned.