Julianne Moore

CHICAGO – You may be surprised by the angle taken by HBO’s controversial “Game Change,” a film already being summarily dismissed by conservative pundits who probably haven’t even seen the piece and merely assume that it’s another liberal Hollywood hatchet job. It’s not that at all.

CHICAGO – The intensity that Robert De Niro puts into his movie characters had slackened a bit, as he bent his reputation on more commercial roles. But Director Paul Weitz has revived the old legend with a meaty, purposeful character, and De Niro delivers it with his old fire. ‘Being Flynn’ is not a comeback, but a gratefully received reboot.

CHICAGO – Part of the fun in watching movies is experiencing the career evolution of a particular director. One such career is Paul Weitz, who began with the memorable “American Pie,” went a bit more serious with “About a Boy” and “In Good Company,” and cements his credibility in the insightful “Being Flynn.”

CHICAGO – On Tuesday, Feb. 28, Chicagoans will have their first opportunity to watch four-time Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore’s controversial portrayal of former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin in Jay Roach’s new HBO drama, “Game Change.” The film is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann.

CHICAGO – Apparently, HBO likes to give its news in bulk. The premium network announced debut dates for a new HBO feature film, the new season of a hit series, and the premiere of two new series to the network.

CHICAGO – Glenn Ficarra & John Requa do strong directorial work yet and the script by Dan Fogelman is strong but “Crazy, Stupid, Love” works primarily due to the sheer, incredible talent of its amazing cast. With a stellar mix of Oscar-nominated veterans, two of the most engaging actors of their generation, and even a few talented newcomers, this is easily one of the best ensembles of the year. They were attracted by a film that treats love like the silly, goofy, wacky, crazy, stupid thing it needs to be. Sure, it’s broad and a bit cliched, but so is its subject matter.

CHICAGO – Universal’s three-disc set for the incredibly-influential “Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy” is one of the best multi-film sets of the season, a glorious combination of stellar HD transfers, incredible audio tracks, amazing new & old special features, and films that have held up remarkably well over the years. “Jurassic Park” gets nowhere near the credit it deserves either as pure entertainment or as a film that would massively influence works to come. Hopefully, this set will go some way to correct those mistakes and introduce the films to a new generation.

CHICAGO – The crossing over of entertainment forms is nothing new us and seems to come in phases. We have seen hundreds of books that were turned into movies. There have been TV shows like “Bewitched” “Get Smart” and “Charlie’s Angels” that were turned into movies. The latest craze in the cross-overs: films to television.

CHICAGO – Most Coen brother releases on Blu-ray are going to cause a ripple through the film-loving community. Who doesn’t want to own “Fargo,” “Miller’s Crossing,” and even less-beloved films like “The Man Who Wasn’t There” or “The Hudsucker Proxy” in 1080p? Joel and Ethan Coen have long been visually-gifted filmmakers and those gifts shine through brightly in HD. But the release of the massively-adored “The Big Lebowski” in a special Blu-ray edition? Well, that’s more of a wave than a ripple.

CHICAGO – In our latest comedy/crime/cult classic edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 Blu-rays up for grabs to the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “The Big Lebowski” starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Steve Buscemi!