Kate Beckinsale

CHICAGO – How did we get to four “Underworld” movies? Sure, the first one is decent B-movie entertainment and there are even moments in the fourth one, “Underworld: Awakening,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, that find a bit of that glee but these are such products of a marketing machine. There’s nothing interesting, original, or exciting here. You watch ‘em and forget about it ‘em by the time your Blu-ray player has powered down. Don’t bother. There are better ways to spend your time.

CHICAGO – “Contraband” has some action movie elements that work but too much of it is overly familiar, especially the parts played by leads Mark Wahlberg and supporting actors J.K. Simmons, Ben Foster & Giovanni Ribisi, strong actors who resort to their basic tricks here and just don’t deliver. I like all four guys but this is lazy work in a relatively lazy film overall. All in all, “Contraband” is a mediocre movie that moves quickly enough to barely fit the bill on a rainy Saturday night but isn’t the best work by anyone involved.

CHICAGO – In our latest action/crime edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 Blu-rays up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “Contraband” starring Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale!

CHICAGO – In our latest action/fantasy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 10 admit-two run-of-engagement anytime movie passes up for grabs to the new Kate Beckinsale vampire film “Underworld: Awakening”!

CHICAGO – There is a near-great movie opening this weekend that features a bad-ass, gun-toting chick who defeats any obstacle placed in her way. Despite what the advertising may have you believe, that movie is not “Underworld: Awakening”.

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Ricky Gervais

CHICAGO – This 37-image slideshow contains a selection of NBC-provided images from the 69th Annual Golden Globes, which were handed out on January 15th, 2012 on NBC. Celebrities featured include Ricky Gervais, Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Kate Beckinsale, Meryl Streep, Claire Danes, Jean Dujardin, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Emily Blunt, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Madonna, Peter Dinklage, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and many more.

CHICAGO – One way to craft an unforgettable, undeniably adept film is to make a new one. Hollywood views that as financially risky, though, and it often doesn’t happen without being based on a book with a built-in audience or a film that’s already an international box-office success.

CHICAGO – In our latest action/crime edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new film “Contraband” starring Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale!

CHICAGO – The summer movie season is officially over (sigh), and now it’s time for Hollywood to show off what they’ve got planned for us next. (If we had to guess, we say bet on more “Pirates” movies and less “Green Lantern” sequels.)

CHICAGO – Is there any cinematic prize less prestigious than the Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award? Most of the films honored by this group tend to be simple-minded, cloying and thoroughly manipulative. Any group that names “The Blind Side” as “the best film of 2009” seriously needs its head examined. The Heartland award emblem gracing the DVD box of “Everybody’s Fine” is sure to scare off serious fans of its legendary lead actor.