Jon Favreau

CHICAGO – For all of its ambition and integrity, Jon Favreau’s “Cowboys & Aliens” is a dull genre exercise devoid of charm or wit. Whereas “Iron Man” got a great deal of mileage out of Robert Downey Jr.’s deadpan persona, this sci-fi/western hybrid is marred by its two one-note leads: the morose Daniel Craig and the snarly Harrison Ford. Viewers expecting a “Bond meets Indy” lark a la “The Last Crusade” will be sorely disappointed.

CHICAGO – In our latest action/sci-fi edition of the HollywoodChicago.com Hookup, we have 5 Blu-ray and DVD combo packs up for grabs to the highly anticipated home release of “Cowboys & Aliens” from the director of “Iron Man” starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford!

CHICAGO – “Zookeeper” is a weird, weird movie. It was heavily advertised as a family film about talking animals but it’s more of a Kevin James romantic comedy and even features some dark material about the treatment of animals. In other words, it’s wildly inconsistent and sometimes just strange. Any movie that can feature a Gorilla getting a brain freeze at TGIFridays next to a standard romantic comedy love triangle next to an abuse subplot straight out of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is a weird, weird movie. James and Rosario Dawson are so incredibly likable that they keep it watchable but the movie just never clicks because it never picked an audience and, therefore, satisfies none of them.

CHICAGO – A few beloved films from the ’90s are making their debut on Blu-ray…and “Hostage.” We can’t really find the tie between the Bruce Willis action flick and “Rounders,” “Swingers,” and “Good Will Hunting” but it actually is an underrated flick and it’s hitting HD this month from the same company (Lionsgate releasing Miramax titles) and we didn’t want to discriminate. The best of the bunch is probably the Gus Van Sant Oscar-winner but the movie that introduced the world to Vince Vaughn & Jon Favreau isn’t far behind. Pick up your favorite.

CHICAGO – Jon Favreau’s “Cowboys & Aliens” with Daniel Craig & Harrison Ford is a depressing snooze, a film with so many of the right elements but none of the personality to connect them into something memorable. With so many revisions from a number of writers, it feels like everyone added their own color to the piece until it all faded to gray.

CHICAGO – Brendan Wayne is certainly no stranger to cowboys. As the grandson of one of the greatest western stars ever, John Wayne, Brendan carries on the family tradition in the upcoming Jon Favreau film “Cowboys & Aliens,” featuring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

CHICAGO – Not being familiar with the Kevin James filmography really helped in assessing his latest, “Zookeeper.” His appeal is very evident, and the filmmakers do some funny bits with the old “talking animal” routine.

CHICAGO – Judging purely the film itself, “Iron Man 2” is a disappointment, a reasonably-entertaining slice of superhero escapism that still falls a bit short of its predecessor and fails to capitalize on what worked about that film. But this is not solely a film review and the Blu-ray is a stunner; a perfectly-transferred film with excellent special features. It’s a complete package even if the film may not be.

CHICAGO – Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures sent over the cover art and all the juicy details regarding the September 28th, 2010 Blu-ray and DVD release of the smash hit “Iron Man 2.” Mark your calendars.

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com welcomes back our earlier contestants to the final day 10 of our exclusive 10 Days of “Iron Man 2” giveaway! Today is the day you’ve been waiting for because we’re offering our grand prize: an official poster for the film signed by the cast!