CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Zooey Deschanel
TV News: New Series ‘New Girl,’ ‘Unforgettable’ Open With Strong Ratings
Submitted by BrianTT on September 21, 2011 - 9:19amCHICAGO – Demographic numbers aren’t in yet and there certainly isn’t a story as huge as Monday night’s ludicrous ratings for “Two and a Half Men,” but we thought you might want to know that FOX’s “New Girl” and CBS’s “Unforgettable” seem to be off to good starts. “Glee” was down in its season premiere while “Ringer” dropped in its second week.
TV Review: Impressive ‘New Girl’ Perfect For Zooey Deschanel
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 20, 2011 - 10:02amCHICAGO – Is there anybody in show business that knows their character and personality profile better than Zooey Deschanel? Her accessible, quirky persona – evident in “(500) Days of Summer” – scores big time again with the new sitcom “New Girl,” premiering September 20th on FOX.
TV Feature: The 10 Most Promising New Shows of Fall 2011
Submitted by BrianTT on September 12, 2011 - 10:51amCHICAGO – Do you want the good news or the bad news, TV fans? The good news is that the upcoming crop of new Fall programs from the five major networks (totaling 27 new shows) is not as bad as last year’s incredibly-horrible debut slate. The bad news is that it’s still pretty bad. There is no “Lost,” no “Glee,” no “Modern Family,” no instant stand-outs of any kind.
Film Review: Paul Rudd Makes a Difference as ‘Our Idiot Brother’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 27, 2011 - 12:45amCHICAGO – Advertised deceptively as a comedy, the new film “My Idiot Brother” has a Zen-like quality that is surprising, and oddly captivating, but cannot sustain itself and eventually runs out of steam. Paul Rudd plays the brother to three errant sisters, portrayed by Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Your Highness’ is One of 2011’s Most Disappointing Comedies
Submitted by BrianTT on August 10, 2011 - 10:25amCHICAGO – David Gordon Green’s “Your Highness” still makes me sad. Not only am I giant fan of nearly everyone involved but the concept of a pot-fueled riff on the fantasy-adventure films more popular in the ’80s is a great one. And yet, even watching it again on Blu-ray and DVD, “Your Highness” just sinks, deflating my like a leaky balloon. I’m gonna go cry now.
Film Review: Danny McBride, James Franco Falter With Dreadful Comedy ‘Your Highness’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 8, 2011 - 2:14pmCHICAGO – “Your Highness” just makes me sad. Rarely have so many talented people been sucked into such an unfunny disaster as what will surely be one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Elf’ Given Collector’s Edition Treatment For Holiday Season
Submitted by BrianTT on November 11, 2010 - 10:46amCHICAGO – There’s no better studio at repackaging already-available product than Warner Bros. and they have taken the truly-great “Elf” and given it the lavish Collector’s Edition treatment just in time for the 2010 holiday season. The Will Ferrell family comedy has held up remarkably well in the seven years since its release and makes a perfect selection for what could be called the WB space-killers of enormous Collector’s Editions that have also included “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” the “Harry Potter” movies, “A Christmas Story,” and more.
Slideshow: 7-Image Gallery of Zooey Deschanel in Chicago With ‘She & Him’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 10, 2010 - 9:44amCHICAGO – Summer officially opened on Monday, June 7th, when Zooey Deschanel – who played a character named Summer in last year’s “(500) Days of Summer” – kicked off the concert season at Millennium Park in Chicago with her sideman M. Ward, as part of the group “She & Him.”
Blu-Ray Review: Clever ‘(500) Days of Summer’ is Smart, Sexy Fun
Submitted by BrianTT on January 20, 2010 - 12:00pmCHICAGO – Marc Webb’s “(500) Days of Summer” became one of the sleeper hits of 2009. Sure, the Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel romantic comedy didn’t light the box office on fire like “The Hangover,” but it did crack the top ten and work its way to a remarkable $32 million domestically on a reported $8 million budget. That’s a monster arthouse hit.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel Connect in ‘(500) Days of Summer’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 17, 2009 - 7:50amCHICAGO – Romantic comedies have been so sanitized, obviously for the protection of the movie consumer, that it is refreshing to meet a reality-based couple as they interact, co-mingle, love and clash in “(500) Days of Summer.”