Tom Cruise

CHICAGO – Does anyone else remember when sci-fi was fun? Sure, there have always been philosphical, “deep” pieces of science fiction like “2001” and “Blade Runner,” but the genre has become so stunningly self-serious this year. The weight of it nearly crushes “Elysium” and totally decimated “After Earth.” And then we have “Oblivion,” recently released on Blu-ray, a movie that looks great but thinks it has a lot more to say than it ultimately does. And it’s just not fun.

CHICAGO – “Jack Reacher” doesn’t work as an action movie. However, if you approach the mannered dialogue and dark storytelling as a noir, which is what I believe the writer and director (if not the marketing team at Paramount) intended, then there’s a lot to like here. It’s a stylized, slick, well-made ride with some crackling dialogue, charismatic performances, and heavy doses of style.

CHICAGO – “Oblivion” is a Pyrrhic victory that wins its battle, but loses the overall war. While this is the kind of visual production value you’d expect on a $120 million budget, an ostentatious steak dinner in the special effects department never makes up for a story that tastes more like cheap ramen noodles.

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 30 pairs of IMAX movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated “Oblivion” with Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman!

CHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 free Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray combo packs up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer!

CHICAGO – While normally I’d never think the date I screened a film was newsworthy, being subjected to “Jack Reacher” on Dec. 13, 2012 turned out to put even a therapist into therapy. The very next day, well, just two words: Sandy Hook.

CHICAGO – How can the same man who made one of the most lovable movie musicals of the last decade go on to make one of the most hatable? Adam Shankman’s bouncy, broad approach was a splendid fit for the playful “Hairspray,” but it is all wrong for Chris D’Arienzo’s raunchy, melodramatic ode to ’80s rock. His show, “Rock of Ages,” may have been a hit on Broadway, but it was a complete flop with moviegoers and critics alike.

CHICAGO – A number of films have been inducted into the Universal line of 100th Anniversary Blu-rays, the best wave of catalog Blu-ray releases of 2012 and an increasingly impressive collection, but few have been as current as Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July.” Oliver Stone has a new movie in theaters (“Savages”), co-star Kyra Sedgwick is starting her final season of TNT’s “The Closer” this week, and, well, star Tom Cruise has been in the headlines a bit lately. Maybe you noticed.

CHICAGO – Although the jukebox musical needs an available pasture to be put out onto, the new film “Rock of Ages” – based on the Broadway stage play – improves on that genre by having a little fun and lots of tongue-in-cheek. Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand rock the cashbox.

CHICAGO – A select few HollywoodChicago.com winners were blown away by an early screening of “Inception” plus a cocktail reception and in-theatre dinner – all for free!