Star Wars

CHICAGO – Now that he is widely recognized as one of the best filmmakers of all time, it’s almost hard to believe that there was a period in the career of Akira Kurosawa when he couldn’t get financing to make a film. Kurosawa went through a very dark time in the ’70s, punctuated by his disastrous experience with “Tora! Tora! Tora!,” and needed the weight of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas to help with his comeback, “Kagemusha,” now available in a beautiful Criterion Collection Blu-Ray release.

CHICAGO – Who would have guessed that some of the best “Star Wars”-related material of the ’00s would be produced by Seth Green? And yet, there’s no denying that a lot of what Green delivers with “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II” is smarter than a majority of the product coming out of the Lucas machine. Check out the special, now on DVD, and see for yourself.

CHICAGO – I really want to recommend “Fanboys”. The story behind the film is a David-and-Goliath tale of a young filmmaker bringing his comedic vision to life against all odds and the film is finally being released on DVD after years of delays. Sadly, the drama behind-the-scenes doesn’t change the mediocre quality of the final product.

CHICAGO – Two TV shows and two indie horror movies comprise the final edition of the infamous HollywoodChicago.com Round-Up for March. Both shows already have cult followings and the movies are likely to build ones of their own.

CHICAGO – Kyle Newman’s “Fanboys” has had one of the most legendary post-productions in the history of film. The director opened up to HollywoodChicago.com about the six-year journey of his labor of love on the eve of his world premiere: a day that Newman admits he once thought he would never see.

CHICAGO – In our latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have a special giveaway with 10 autographed “Fanboys” posters from actors Dan Fogler, Sam Huntington and Chris Marquette. “Fanboys” also stars Seth Rogen, Kristen Bell and Jay Baruchel from director Kyle Newman.

Legendary writer, director, editor and producer George Lucas (“Star Wars”) will speak in Chicago on Monday night before a business crowd at the Economic Club of Chicago. Lucas will be joined by Ariel Capital Management President Mellody Hobson.