Owen Wilson

‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’ is Predictable, Clustered Drivel

Ebeth — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:26:56 -0600

CHICAGO – The sequel “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” is, presumably, an effort by director Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum” in 2006 and “The Pink Panther”) and writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (who both wrote the first film) to weave together an exciting and educational film.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

After all, the concept remains clever and plot endless in possibilities. Museum exhibits come to life through ancient magic with wildlife running amuck, significant historical figures repossessed and left to interact as well as all sorts of artifacts renewed and at the disposal of all.

Add to this formula a knockout cast – with Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Bill Hader and Jonah Hill – and one can expect hilarity and stimulation.

Instead, the filmgoer will quite amazingly find little engagement in this movie and instead will be confronted with a predictable, “when’s it going to end?” storyline that amounts to little but clustered drivel. The opposite of stimulating, the film simply numbs and dumbs the mind.

Read Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” in our reviews section.

Upon opening, we find that former museum guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) has left his job at the Museum of Natural History to pursue a more lucrative career: inventor and infomercial personality.

It becomes clear through rushed and skipped-about scenes that he’s unfulfilled in his new life and is quickly led back to wander the halls of his former museum-guard dwellings.

Upon his return to the Museum of Natural History, Larry finds that the majority of the exhibits he came to know in the original “Night at the Museum” are being shipped for storage in the basement of the Smithsonian.

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” which stars Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Bill Hader and Jonah Hill from director Shawn Levy and writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, opened everywhere on May 22, 2009. The film is rated PG for mild action and brief language.

Read Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” in our reviews section.

Ben Stiller returns as heroic museum guard Larry Daley in “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”.
Photo credit: Doane Gregory, Fox Pictures

Read Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” in our reviews section.

Slideshow: 29-Image Gallery For ‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’

BrianTT — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:11:57 -0600

CHICAGO – This 29-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” starring Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, Bill Hader, Hank Azaria, and Christopher Guest. The film, written by Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant and directed by Shawn Levy, opens on May 22nd, 2009.

Synopsis:

“Night has fallen upon the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The guides have gone home, the lights are out, the school kids are tucked in their beds … yet something incredible is stirring as former night guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) finds himself lured into his biggest, most imagination-boggling adventure yet in which history truly comes alive. In this second installment of the Night at the Museum saga, Larry faces a battle so epic it could only unfold in the corridors of the world’s largest museum. Now, Larry must try to save his formerly inanimate friends from what could be their last stand amid the wonders of the Smithsonian, all of which, from the famous paintings on the walls to the rocket ships in the halls, suddenly have a mind of their own.”

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos credited to Doane Gregory and Fox Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

NATM2-01: Ben Stiller returns as heroic museum guard Larry Daley.
NATM2-02: Ben Stiller returns as heroic museum guard Larry Daley.
NATM2-03: Amy Adams is famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart.
NATM2-04: Amy Adams is famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart.
NATM2-05: Amy Adams is famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart.
NATM2-06: Egyptian pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) strikes an appropriately villainous pose.
NATM2-07: Museum of Natural History official Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais) doesn’t seem perturbed by the antics of the Capuchin monkey Dexter.
NATM2-08: General Custer (Bill Hader) and Able the Space Monkey are pleased by the events unfolding during the epic Battle of the Smithsonian.
NATM2-09: Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) behold the wonders of exhibits that have come to life inside the Smithsonian.
NATM2-10: Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) behold the wonders of exhibits that have come to life inside the Smithsonian.
NATM2-11: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) has a showdown with evil Egyptian pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria).
NATM2-12: Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) again offers sage advice to beleaguered museum guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller).
NATM2-13: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) sizes up matters with Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat).
NATM2-14: Three of history’s greatest henchmen – Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest, left), Al Capone (Jon Bernthal) and Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat) pause during the epic Battle of the Smithsonian.
NATM2-15: Director Shawn Levy on the set of Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian.
NATM2-16: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) gets a helping hand from a statue of Abraham Lincoln, which has magically come to life in The Lincoln Memorial.
NATM2-17: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) wreak havoc in the Smithsonian as they take a thrilling ride through its historic corridors.
NATM2-18: A statue come to life triggers a flight of fancy from Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), as Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) looks on.
NATM2-19: A bobble-head Einstein entrances Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams).
NATM2-20: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) consult a bust of Theodore Roosevelt (Robin Williams).
NATM2-21: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) plan their next move in their epic “Battle of the Smithsonian.”
NATM2-22: A giant octopus presents yet another challenge to Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) in their epic “Battle of the Smithsonian.”
NATM2-23: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) think it’s time to get help from The Thinker.
NATM2-24: Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and museum official Dr. McPhee (Ricky Gervais) marvel at the new holographic exhibit of Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams).
NATM2-25: Egyptian pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) watches the sands of time run out for miniature cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson).
NATM2-26: Trapped in an hourglass, miniature cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson) is seemingly helpless as the sands of time run out on him.
NATM2-27: Miniature cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson), diminutive gladiator Octavius (Steve Coogan) and friends emerge from the crate in which they traveled from New York to the Smithsonian.
NATM2-28: Jedediah (Owen Wilson) and comrade-in-arms Octavius (Steve Coogan) prepare for battle.
NATM2-29: The massive statue of Abraham Lincoln comes to life – and to the rescue during the epic Battle of the Smithsonian.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Marley & Me’ Effective Crowd Pleaser, Great Blu-Ray

BrianTT — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:29:41 -0600

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Marley & Me” is that rare, old-fashioned crowd pleaser that honestly pleases. The movie just works. Yes, it’s sentimental, melodramatic, and a bit long, but it’s completely effective and was underrated in theaters. This is going to be a movie that fans love for years to come and Fox has given their family-friendly hit a gorgeous three-disc Blu-Ray treatment.

“Marley & Me” opened with the highest Christmas day gross of all time and stayed at number one into 2009. It’s very easy to see why. This underrated dramedy directed by David Frankel (“The Devil Wears Prada”) and written by the excellent Scott Frank (“The Lookout”) and Don Roos (“The Opposite of Sex”) is moving without being manipulative and the kind of heartwarming story of average people that you don’t see that often in the era of sequels and superheroes.

Marley and Me was released on Blu-Ray on March 31st, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) and John Grogan (Owen Wilson) have an average life in “Marley & Me” with all of the ups and downs framed in the context of their gorgeous-yet-problematic yellow Labrador Retriever that they name Marley. They move from Michigan to Florida after John gets a job at the Palm Beach Post with his friend Sebastian (Eric Dane). John’s buddy gets the more dangerous, sexy, high-profile assignments while John ends up writing a column about his dog.

Marley and Me was released on Blu-Ray on March 31st, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

Marley is more than a handful. At first, they try to have him sleep in the garage but this hundred-pounds-of-canine needs constant companionship. And he destroys nearly everything he comes in contact with.

Once John realizes that he can use his column to write about his adventures with Marley, the film becomes basically just a series of highlights from the life of a young couple through their thirties. They experience tragic loss and incredible triump, have a few kids, fight, make up, and Marley is always there in the family picture. The screenplay by Roos & Frank does an amazing job of making Marley a believable part of the life of the Grogans instead of putting all the focus on him.

The script is what truly sets “Marley & Me” apart from similar family fare but it certainly helps to have Wilson’s most affable and believable performance in years. He downplays the shtick of movies like “You, Me, & Dupree” and “Drillbit Taylor” and makes John a likable, fully-realized character. Even Aniston, who surprisingly takes a back seat to Wilson, is more believable than in a lot of her recent work. Frankel deserves credit for making John, Jenny, and Marley feel real instead of just melodramatic devices.

This movie canine isn’t perfect. At nearly two-hours, “Marley & Me” overstays its welcome a bit. There are a few too many “Marley, no!” scenes and Dane is ineffective as John’s buddy. Wilson sells John’s concerns about not realizing his dreams of tough journalism without the superfluous supporting character.

Marley and Me was released on Blu-Ray on March 31st, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

But these are minor complaints for what is essentialy a charming movie with charismatic leads of the two and four-legged variety.

Fox knows “Marley & Me” is not only a hit but a film that families will watch for years, so they employed the Disney model in their Blu-Ray release, giving buyers a BD, DVD, and digital copy of the film in one beautiful package. I love this release pattern because it recognizes that modern families watch movies in more than the family room and allows them one purchase to watch “Marley & Me” wherever they want to see it.

The BD version is presented in 1080p with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and a great English DTS HD 5.1 Master Lossless Audio track. Spanish, French, and Portuguese 5.1 tracks are also included.

The extensive special features inlucde an amazing 19 deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary, “Finding Marley,” “Breaking the Golden Rule,” “On Set with Marley: Dog of All Trades,” “Animal Adoption,” “When Not to Pee,” a gag reel, and a dog training trivia track. The featurettes are a little scattered and repetitive and it would have been nice to hear a commentary track, but it’s about as solid a collection of extras as fans could expect. 19 deleted scenes! Was there a 3-hour version of “Marley & Me” at one point? That’s a lot of dog.

If you avoided “Marley & Me” because you think it’s too cheesy or old-fashioned, give it a shot. You may be surprised by this lovable pooch.

‘Marley & Me’ is released by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and stars Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, and Alan Arkin. It was released on March 31st, 2009. It is rated PG.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Launches Blu-Ray Division With 1990s Independent Hits

BrianTT — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:37:40 -0700

CHICAGO – Criterion made their debut on the next-gen format this month with a series of imports from standard to Blu-Ray, the first film by a regular for the Collection, Wes Anderson’s “Bottle Rocket”, and the movie that introduced Wong Kar-wai to the world, “Chungking Express”.

“The Third Man” and “The Last Emperor” were two of the most lauded releases on standard DVD for The Criterion Collection, so their inclusion in the first wave of Criterion Blu-Ray titles makes sense, but making “Bottle Rocket” and “Chungking Express” two of Criterion’s premiere HD titles was an unusual choice from a company known for doing things a little differently.

It begs an obvious question - Was anyone dying to see the low-budget debut of the Wilson brothers in stunning 1080p High-Definition? Even “Chungking Express”, with the accomplished visual sensibility of the great Wong Kar-wai, doesn’t seem like the obvious choice to take full advantage of the format.

I’m sure Criterion would argue that every movie they choose deserves the best possible treatment, something they’ve been pioneers in on standard DVD. After all, “The Criterion Collection is dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions of the highest technical quality, with supplemental features that enhance the appreciation of the art of film.” Every film deserves HD.

“Bottle Rocket”

Considering the massively enjoyable Criterion releases of “Rushmore”, “The Royal Tenenbaums”, and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”, choosing Wes Anderson’s debut film to be in the first wave of Criterion Blu-Ray releases does make a bit of sense (although “The Darjeeling Limited” might have made a little more.) As Anderson says in the excellent “The Making of Bottle Rocket”, there are a lot of people, some of them famous, who truly adore “Bottle Rocket” and the Blu-Ray release of it will certainly satisfy them in every way.

Based on a 13-minute short film that Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, and Wes Anderson made when Owen and Wes were roommates at the University of Texas, “Bottle Rocket” may only hint at the potential that Anderson (and Owen as a writer) would drastically improve on with the brilliant “Rushmore” but it does have some charm of its own. Luke and Owen play best friends Anthony and Dignan, two lovable losers who stage a ridiculous robbery and go “on the lam”. Anthony falls for a sweet South American housekeeper named Inez (Lumi Cavazos) and the gang gets involved with a famous thief named Mr. Henry (James Caan).

“Bottle Rocket” is a little inconsistent, but it was a film that instantly put three names - the Wilsons and Wes Anderson - on the movie map and holds a very special place in their fan’s hearts.

The 1996 cult hit has been remastered to a nearly flawless HD picture and accompanied by a DTS-HD Master Audio stereo 5.1 track. The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. As with nearly all Criterion standard editions, the video is unimpeachable and the audio is appropriate for the film. The video is a new transfer that was supervised and approved by director Wes Anderson and director of photography Robert Yeoman.

The director-approved special features that accompany “Bottle Rocket” include a charming new commentary by Anderson and Owen Wilson. Neither of the gentlemen seem to have seen the movie in years and barely remember making it. It’s been a long twelve years for both of them and listening to them watching “Bottle Rocket” is like peeking in on someone watching old home movies.

“The Making of Bottle Rocket” is an HD documentary made in 2008 with interviews with both Wilson brothers, Anderson, the producers of the film, including James L. Brooks, and even James Caan, who hilariously compares his three-day shoot to being as difficult as taking left-corner on “Hollywood Squares”. The original 13-minute short film is included alongside eleven deleted scenes, anamorphic test, storyboard, location photos, behind-the-scenes photograph by Laura Wilson, “The Shafrazi Lectures, No. 1: Bottle Rocket”, and “Murita Cycles”, a 1978 short film by Barry Braverman that inspired the film.

Criterion always includes something interesting in the packaging as well and “Bottle Rocket” not only comes in a nice, eco-friendly, cardboard slip case but includes a booklet with essays by Brooks and a well-known admirer of the film, Martin Scorsese.

‘Bottle Rocket’ is released by The Criterion Collection and stars Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave, Lumi Cavazos, and James Caan, and was written by Owen Wilson & Wes Anderson and directed by Anderson. It was released on December 16th, 2008.

“Chungking Express”

My personal memory of seeing “Chungking Express” on a rainy day in London in the mid-’90s is one of my most shockingly vivid movie-going memories. “Chungking Express” was something completely new for this lover of cinema who was stuck in the rut of junk being released in 1995 and it introduced me to Wong Kar-wai, a visionary director who would go on to make even more beloved films with “In the Mood For Love” and “2046”. It’s a defining work by one of the most creative voices to come out of the international movie scene in the ’90s.

“Chungking Express” is about two heartsick cops (Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung) who have both been jilted by their ex-lovers. They cross paths late at night at the ‘Midnight Express’, a take-out restaurant stand run by the gorgeous Faye (Faye Wong). “Chungking Express” is about fate, romance, longing, and that feeling that even in a city of millions, you’re still alone. It’s a heartsick masterpiece that has not only stood the test of time, but improved with it.

“Chungking Express”, which Wong Kar-wai made during a break in the interminable post-production period for “Ashes of Time,” was first released on a standard Criterion DVD last month, so the jump to HD has been a quick one. The film has been restored with a gorgeous high-definition digital transfer with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack supervised by director Wong Kar-Wai. Like most WKW films, “Chungking” has the feeling of a dream, so the vividness of HD is a perfect fit for any of his works.

The special features on the Blu-Ray release of “Chungking Express” are a bit disappointing. One of the best accompaniments to the film is the booklet featuring a new essay by critic Amy Taubin and the commentary by noted Asian cinema critic Tony Rayns is worth a listen. Otherwise, all that’s included is a 1996 episode of the British television series “Moving Pictures” with interviews with Wong and the great cinematographer Christopher Doyle. There’s not a single special feature which includes new interviews with anyone involved with the production. It’s a minor complaint for a great movie on Criterion Blu-Ray.

‘Chungking Express’ is released by The Criterion Collection and stars Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung, Faye Wong, and was written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai. It was released on December 16th, 2008.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Chicago Filmmaker Darryl Roberts to Screen ‘America the Beautiful’ at Midwest Independent Film Festival

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:43:07 -0600

CHICAGO – Welcome to a new HollywoodChicago.com column called CineOnSceneChicago. “Cine” is a French word derived from “cinematograph,” is pronounced like its connector word “scene” and roughly means “moving picture”. Our goal is to present a moving picture of the Chicago film scene and have fun with it, too. The debut focuses on Chicago filmmaker Darryl Roberts.

The CineOnSceneChicago mission is to celebrate and communicate the Chicago “scene” in “cine” (moving pictures). This involves the people, places and film traditions of Chicago in all its glory and infamy through the use of interviews, overviews and historical perspective. The column also serves the Chicago film buff by highlighting where the action is whether through showcasing special screenings, TV screenings of film gems or events having to do with high-level or even low-brow film interest.

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, his first documentary, “America the Beautiful,” is screening at the Midwest Independent Film Festival on April 1, 2008. We recently caught up with Roberts at a Chicago cafe in Ukrainian Village to better understand “America the Beautiful” and related topics through his eyes.

Chicago filmmaker Darryl Roberts has written and directed “America the Beautiful” (2007), “How U Like Me Now” (1993) and “The Perfect Model” (1998). Roberts also produced and was featured in “America the Beautiful”.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com: What’s your film all about? What issues does it cover?
Darryl Roberts: The film has a lot of different layers. The one issue I wanted to pose before the American culture is that the obsession over the current notion of beauty can’t be good for us. In the “buy this product and you will be beautiful” era, what’s the fallout?

We cover the risk of plastic surgery, chemicals in cosmetics and the modeling industry’s contribution to the topic by following one 12-year-old model in her career.

“America the Beautiful” by Chicago filmmaker Darryl Roberts.
Photo credit: Darryl Roberts

HC: She’s 12 years old? How did you come across a 12-year-old model?
DR: I found Gerren Taylor during Los Angeles Fashion Week. When she came on stage, there was a guy next to me who made it pretty clear he wanted to take her home. That’s when another woman piped in: “You better be careful. She’s only 12 years old.”

The presentation of her at that event was true sexualization of a child. I then approached her mother, told her about the documentary and proposed to follow Gerren through the process of her modeling career.

At that time, the documentary was going in many directions. Through following Gerren, I was able to use her story to incorporate the elements of media, fashion and advertising in the entire documentary. I shot her for two years.

I was then able to take all the other nuggets of the film, wrap them around her story and use it all as a narrative thread. It worked perfectly in that context.

HC: After exploring this subject as you have, what issues emerged regarding Americans and beauty especially how it relates to celebrities?
DR: One of the people I interviewed was Jill Ishkanian. She’s the west coast entertainment editor for US Weekly. She remarked on how happy she was that US Weekly was able to corrupt our society with celebrities because that gets people hooked to her product.

She says the average American’s life is very mundane and the more excitement and repetition they generate regarding a beautiful celebrity means the reader will live vicariously through that life and absorb any information they can get about it.

The movie poster for “America the Beautiful”.
Image credit: Darryl Roberts

HC: Were there certain characteristics of “perfect beauty” as you were putting the film together that came up time and time again?
DR: The terms that would always surface universally were “tall, slim and blonde”. In my research, though, I found only 6 percent of all women are naturally blonde. The rest are dye jobs.

There is a real obsession when it comes to the perception of blonde in society. There are statistics, for example, that show singers like Jessica Simpson and Beyoncé quadrupled the album sales of their music when they went blonde.

HC: How does commerce and advertising play a role in beauty?
DR: Because I interviewed nearly 200 women and only two thought they were beautiful, I wanted to put this statistic in front of the editors of Seventeen, Elle and other advertisers of beauty and ask them how they felt about that.

They all – in their own way – rejected their responsibility in the beauty barrage basically because they are in it to make money. They even admit a lot of it is fake with a “buyer beware” warning.

HC: Are women losing value as contributors to society because of this overwhelming, commerce-oriented focus on beauty?
DR: One of the best interviews in the documentary is with Eve Ensler: the author of “The Vagina Monologues”. She doesn’t read the magazines or watch the commercials because she believes women need to be more proactive about their own self-esteem.

While there are many great women doing great things, I do believe when women buy into the concept of who they are is predicated on how they look that society loses a value. There are things these types of women aren’t contributing to because they simply don’t have the confidence.

Chicago filmmaker Darryl Roberts in “America the Beautiful”.
Photo credit: Darryl Roberts

HC: What type of discussion points do you want viewers to take away from your documentary?
DR: First of all, I want them to ask themselves: “How am I complicit in this beauty game?” Second, I hope they reach out to help the youth – especially teenage girls – build their self-esteem against the wave of more than 2,000 beauty images we all see every day. I call this taking our self-esteem back from advertisers.

HC: How did you become interested in filmmaking?
DR: I studied marketing and accounting in school – no filmmaking – but back in 1986, I was in Los Angeles for the first time. I was driving down Sunset Boulevard, and out of the blue, I turned to my girlfriend at the time and said: “I’m going to make a movie.”

I think it came from when I was young and loved John Wayne and Bruce Lee movies along with my desire to emulate them. It seemed my subconscious was always in tune with this ambition. About a year later, I had raised $30,000 and made a romantic comedy called “The Perfect Model”. Like many people before me, though, the journey began on Sunset Boulevard.

“America the Beautiful” will screen at the Midwest Independent Film Festival on April 1, 2008 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema at 2828 N. Clark in Chicago. Darryl Roberts will appear for a Q&A session associated with the screening. Click here for more details.

Chicago Cine Notes

The Chicago Tribune on March 25, 2008 ran a “bracketology” article about made-in-Chicago movies with “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “The Blues Brothers” in the final face-off. They missed my favorite “About Last Night” – and a recent dark horse: “The Lake House”.

Regardless, between the two I’d go with “The Blues Brothers” only because of the final chase scene through Daley Plaza (plus Ferris seems too much of a California view of Chi-town). Go here to vote on your top pick.

The Free TV Movie of Week spotlights the old-fashioned local Chicago channels and the films worth seeing that they’re offering. This is for the week of March 31 to April 6, 2008.

“Animal Farm” (1954) will show on April 6, 2008 at 3 a.m. on Ch. 20 (WYCC). Even though Ch. 20 is the poor-man’s Ch. 11 that often shows bad prints of films, its selections are usually eclectic and unusual. This first animated adaptation of George Orwell’s immortal totalitarianism tale is no exception.

It’s was Britain’s first full-length animated film for entertainment purposes and – get this! – the film rights were obtained by the CIA to create an anti-Communist propaganda message. Orwell’s widow, Sonia, agreed to all this because she got to meet Clark Gable. This alone makes it worth a look or a TiVo. Ch. 20 doesn’t have commercials.

Ken Candela – The Movie Wag – was a contributor to my blog film reviews. I thought I’d import him here to HollywoodChicago.com. Aside from being a resident film buff, he’s also an expert on the studio system of the early film industry and a movie funnyman. Here is his debut in CineOnSceneChicago where he’s concerned for Owen Wilson’s well-being:

After seeing Wilson’s latest film, “Drillbit Taylor,” I suggest that both he and I adjust our medications – his to survive his career and mine to be able to sit through his movies.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com