Tony Shalhoub

CHICAGO – When you’re the #1 network on TV, it must be tempting to stay the course. However, CBS always shakes things up a bit and this year is no different.

CHICAGO – Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain” tells such a ridiculous story that it has to be true. Based on the infamous case of the Sun Gym Gang, a trio of bodybuilders who committed some unspeakable, bizarre crimes, “Pain & Gain” nearly works through the sheer charisma and talent of its A-list cast.

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 25 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly recommended “Pain & Gain” (based on a true story!) with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson!

CHICAGO – It doesn’t sound like a particularly bad idea. In exploring the globe-trotting adventures of author Ernest Hemingway and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn, why not use archival footage of the actual sights and sounds that they encountered, while nesting the actors into the frame, a la “Forrest Gump”? I didn’t think it was a bad idea at all until roughly three minutes into the movie.

CHICAGO – It pains me to say this — HBO’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn” is a complete mess, a film littered with awful directorial decisions, built on a misguided screenplay, and featuring performances that range from mediocre to downright horrendous. I’m as big a cheerleader for HBO and their line of original films as you’re likely to find but this is one of the worst.

CHICAGO – Winner of several Emmy Awards, including three for star Tony Shalhoub for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, “Monk” was easily one of the most successful and influential programs of the ’00s. It may seem like too light and inconsequential a show to be deemed so important but the show about the OCD detective has completely changed the landscape of basic cable television, proving that networks like USA could play with the big boys.

CHICAGO – For seven years, USA Network’s “Monk” has consistently delivered quality entertainment. It’s never been a show that set out to break the rules or even do anything too interesting within them, but it has rarely faltered at all in its ability to entertain, something that can be said about very few series that have been on this long.