Dustin Levell

From ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to ‘Milk’: HollywoodChicago.com Picks the 2009 Oscar Winners

BrianTT — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:28:15 -0700

CHICAGO – Content director Brian Tallerico and staff writers Dustin Levell and Patrick McDonald have merged their movie-loving minds and come up with the ultimate Oscar preview. Win your office pool, impress your friends and propose a toast to the nominees that should have been when the 81st-annual Academy Awards are broadcast on Feb. 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. CST.

BEST PICTURE

Slumdog Millionaire
Photo credit: Fox Searchlight

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
-Paramount; 13 nominations; $123 million gross

“Frost/Nixon”
-Universal; 5 nominations; $17 million gross

“Milk”
-Focus; 8 nominations; $27 million gross; winner of New York Critics Award

“The Reader”
-The Weinstein Company; 5 nominations; $21 million gross

“Slumdog Millionaire”
-Fox Searchlight; 10 nominations; $89 million gross; winner of BAFTA, Boston Critics, National Board of Review, Producers Guild Award, SAG Ensemble Award, and Golden Globe

Nearly everyone on Earth is predicting a locked-in win for Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” and HollywoodChicago.com is no different. It would be an absolute, jaw-dropping shock to hear “Frost/Nixon” or “The Reader” announced on Oscar night and “Milk” doesn’t have the support needed to get the big win. That leaves the nomination leader - “Button” - and the little movie that could. It’s a Slumdog World, and we only live here.

Dustin thinks the Academy will get it right this year and award the film that deserves the big prize but Patrick and Brian wouldn’t mind seeing a win for “Milk”.

As for the already-notorious snubs of “Wall-E” and “The Dark Knight,” Dustin says, “Twenty years from now, though people will be still be talking about Dark Knight and WALL-E as the great cinematic achievements of 2008 and how they raised the bar for their respective genres.” With no explanation, Patrick throws an interesting film into the ring for what should have been nominated - Neil LaBute’s “Lakeview Terrace”. We love Mr. McDonald and the limb he’s out on with that one.

BEST ACTOR

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler
Photo credit: Fox Searchlight

Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
-1st nomination

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
-1st nomination

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
-2nd nomination (no wins)

Sean Penn, “Milk”
-5th nomination (one win); won Boston (tie) and LA Critics Awards and Screen Actors Guild Award

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”
-1st nomination; won BAFTA, Boston (tie) and Chicago Critics Awards and Golden Globe

This may be one of the tightest races in the history of Best Actor. Eliminating the possibility of a shocking split vote letting a third candidate sneak in, it’s going to be one of two ’80s icons - Sean Penn as Harvey Milk or Mickey Rourke as Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson. Langella, Pitt and Jenkins just got picked in the wrong year.

The SAG win for Penn and universal acclaim seems to give him the edge but Rourke has been nearly as lauded during precursor season and won the Golden Globe. It doesn’t hurt Mickey that Sean has won before. It’s a lot harder to get a second prize. But that doesn’t stop Brian from saying Sean’s going to be one of the few and that he deserves it. Dustin and Patrick are going with Mickey and all three think their choice to win is also the one that should.

There may be solid agreement that either Mickey Rourke or Sean Penn will and should win but there’s no consensus pick on the HollywoodChicago.com staff as to who should have been nominated.

Dustin points to the most financially successful film in Clint Eastwood’s history, “Gran Torino,” and what could be the legendary star’s final performance and finds it surprising that the Academy didn’t throw the old man a bone on his last go round as an actor.

Patrick goes back further in the year and picks the underrated Sam Rockwell and his excellent work in David Gordon Green’s “Snow Angels”.

Finally, Brian thinks no one worked as hard or embodied a character quite as completely as Benicio Del Toro in “Che”. Sadly, all three men have as much of a chance of winning an Oscar on Sunday night as you do.

Despite Smothered Direction, ‘Doubt’ Brings Out Best in Performers

Dustin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 23:01:00 -0700

CHICAGO – The inherit drama of a Catholic priest accused of molesting an African American boy during the 1960s would be enough to make for an interesting film on its own. In “Doubt,” this is one of the less-explored themes writer and director John Patrick Shanley examines.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Instead, there is a tale of Machiavellian ethics, power struggles within the church, and of course the gray areas that encircle certainty and doubt.

Read Dustin Levell’s full review of “Doubt” in our reviews section.

Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) is everything you could expect from a pre-Vatican II nun in 1964. Playing the strict disciplinarian at her Catholic St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx, Beauvier doesn’t believe that the students should be coddled with things like ball point pens.

“Every easy choice today will have its consequence tomorrow,” she explains to her colleague, a cynically free and more hopeful Sister James played by Amy Adams. What seems to be a simple personality clash between Sister Beauvier and the younger, progressive thinking Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), comes to a head when Sister James reports that Father Flynn might have “interfered” with school’s first black student.

“Doubt” stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. “Doubt,” which is written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, opened on December 12, 2008. In Chicago, the film opened at Landmark Century Centre Cinema and AMC River East.

Continuing reading for Dustin Levell’s full “Doubt” review.

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn and Amy Adams as Sister James in “Doubt”.
Photo credit: Andrew Schwartz, Miramax

Continuing reading for Dustin Levell’s full “Doubt” review.

Like a Bad ‘Law & Order,’ ‘Righteous Kill’ With Al Pacino, Robert De Niro Lacks ‘Heat’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:37:07 -0600

CHICAGO – Last fall, Francis Ford Coppola made the comment that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (along with Jack Nicholson) had lost their ambition. Coppola essentially said they have been phoning in their performances and picking safer movies. “Righteous Kill” could be the case study to that argument.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

You have Pacino and De Niro together again. They’re both playing a cop, which is a role they’ve both done time and time again. You give them a script from Russell Gewirtz (who scribed the amazing film “Inside Man”). What could go wrong? As “Righteous Kill” proves, apparently many things.

Read Dustin Levell’s full review of “Righteous Kill” in our reviews section.

View our full, high-resolution “Righteous Kill” image gallery.

Officers “Turk” (Robert De Niro) and “Rooster” (Al Pacino) are partners who have each been with the New York Police Department for 30 years. Their latest case is to catch a serial killer offing the criminals the justice system has let slip through the cracks.

Each serial murder is accompanied with a poem detailing the offenses committed by these lowlifes and why their murder is (sigh) “righteous”. Fellow detectives played by John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg (yes, the older brother of Mark Wahlberg) are also on the case along with Carla Gugino.

She portrays a sexy and sassy officer who’s sleeping with Turk. The story is told as a flashback that’s narrated by video confession by Robert De Niro’s character.

“Righteous Kill,” which stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, Trilby Glover, Carla Gugino and 50 Cent, opened everywhere on Sept. 12, 2008.

Continuing reading for Dustin Levell’s full “Righteous Kill” review.

Left to right: Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in “Righteous Kill”.
Photo credit: Righteous Productions, Inc.

Carla Gugino in “Righteous Kill”.
Photo credit: Righteous Productions, Inc.

Continuing reading for Dustin Levell’s full “Righteous Kill” review.

Analysis: Second Season of AMC’s Hit Series ‘Mad Men’ the Easiest Sell on TV Today

HollywoodChicago.com — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:24:24 -0600

CHICAGO – Men in three-piece suits. Smoking and drinking throughout the day in your corner office. Womanizing and objectifying every woman in the secretarial pool.

If AMC’s hit original series “Mad Men” is taken at face value, it would seem that life as an advertising executive in the 1960s couldn’t be any better. But like good advertising, the impressive series knows how to sell the image while the real substance lies underneath.

Christina Hendricks in “Mad Men” on AMC.
Photo credit: AMC

The series, which debuted in 2007, has received nothing but accolades from critics as well as numerous awards.

Christina Hendricks in “Mad Men” on AMC.
Photo credit: AMC

In addition to its two Golden Globes and a Peabody, the series was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards including being the first basic cable series ever to be nominated for best drama. GQ has said it’s “the only hour-long drama we demand you watch”.

“Mad Men” centers around Don Draper (Jon Hamm). He’s an often silent yet handsome and gifted creative director turned junior partner at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency. Draper has a beautiful wife – Betty (January Jones) – who left a career as a model to become a homemaker and mother to their two beautiful children.

On the surface, Don is the most uninteresting person in the world. He dutifully listens to his superiors. He lovingly looks after his wife and family. His day-to-day existence seems nothing more than pitching his ideas to clients and watching his back for younger guys in the firm who are gunning for his job.

As the first season progresses throughout 1960, however, layers of Draper and the other characters are pulled back. We in fact learn that Don was Richard “Dick” Whitman: the illegitimate child of a prostitute who died during childbirth.

He lived with a brother and abusive father until he apparently disappeared and reinvented himself. He makes a great effort to hide these details from his wife, co-workers and his occasional mistress. Since the inception of “Mad Men,” show creator Matthew Weiner has had a clear vision for the series.

January Jones in “Mad Men” on AMC.
Photo credit: AMC

Weiner wrote the pilot script on spec while working on “Becker” back in 2000. David Chase read the pilot and was so impressed that he was hired to be a writer on the hit HBO series “The Sopranos”. When “The Sopranos” ended, AMC picked up “Mad Men” to be the flagship for its new original line of programming.

Visually, the show is amazing to view. The colors, scenery and wardrobe give an almost fantastical look at the mod styling of the 1960s. The series immerses itself in the cultural Zeitgeist. In the first season, there is reference to Miles Davis, Billy Wilder’s “The Apartment” and the Volkswagen Beetle.

Amazingly, almost everything is approached through the eye of marketing and brand image. The show starts just a few years after Vance Packard’s seminal book “The Hidden Persuaders,” which brought to light media manipulation of Madison Avenue advertising men (who themselves coined the name “Mad Men”).

The pilot focuses on clean-cut professionals redefining how to sell Lucky Strike cigarettes despite an article in Reader’s Digest that has linked them to lung cancer. Later we see Don Draper debate the merits of advertising with a beatnik. The show is impeccable with its point of view.

January Jones (left) and Jon Hamm in “Mad Men” on AMC.
Photo credit: AMC

It’s surprising that the scene featuring the men of Sterling Cooper laughing to the now-famous comedy LP “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” didn’t have them commenting on Newhart’s spot-on bit “Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Ave.”.

The biggest debate the show has started is whether its portrayal of women being marginalized in 1960 is actually still marginalizing them today.

One could argue defensibly, though, that “B”-story plotlines following Betty Draper’s hidden experimentation with psychoanalysis, a single divorced mother being shunned by the neighborhood and the start of ideas such as the female orgasm being discussed more openly starts a catalyst for the upcoming free love and women’s rights movements.

Peggy Olsen (played remarkably by Elisabeth Moss) starts season one as the new girl and lowly secretary trying to fight off advances of the executives of Sterling Cooper. By the end of season one, she has defied convention and has been promoted to copywriter.

RELATED READING
More writing from critic Dustin Levell.

This clearly lays the groundwork for upcoming seasons.

The show’s supposed to travel up until 1970. Season two starts on Valentine’s Day in 1962. Without doubt, season two will feature more mystery and enthralling developments set against the backdrop of the Kennedy Administration, the Vietnam War and the Cold War along with the rise of Bob Dylan and folk music.

Don Draper will no doubt explore new ways to market to a rapidly changing society while keeping things peaceful at home. Masterful writing and beautiful imagery make AMC’s “Mad Men” the easiest sell on television today.

“Mad Men,” which airs on AMC, stars Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Batt, Michael Gladis, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer and John Slattery. The second season began on July 27, 2008 and airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. CST.

By DUSTIN LEVELL
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
dustin@hollywoodchicago.com

Jules Verne’s ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ With Brendan Fraser Stars Film’s 3-D Effects

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:15:19 -0600

CHICAGO – Jules Verne’s classic 1864 science-fiction novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth” has been adapted well in excess of a dozen times into films, radio and stage plays along with several made-for-TV movies and video games. It has even been adapted into two amusement-park rides.

So what new approach is taken with the Brendan Fraser 2008 remake of “Journey to the Center of Earth”? Well, 3-D glasses. Also, it isn’t so much an adaptation of the book but a very weak narrative film that uses action sequences from the book to make for cool, 3-D effects.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Trevor (Brendan Fraser) is a volcanology professor at a college where he’s about lose his research lab. His sister-in-law drops off his nephew, Sean (Josh Hutcherson), to spend 10 days with Trevor. Sean’s mother also drops off a box of items left behind by his late father.

Read Dustin Levell’s full review of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in our reviews section.

View our full, high-resolution “Journey to the Center of the Earth” image gallery.

In it, Trevor finds a copy of Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” with notes from his brother and lab partner. Deciphering the notations, Trevor believes the correlation between the seismic readings he has found in his lab and the notes in the book mean something.

That’s why he and Sean travel to Iceland where Trevor’s brother went missing to investigate. There they meet a guide, Hannah (Anita Briem), who’s the daughter of another Verne follower and scientist.

She leads them into a cave where they begin to discover that everything Verne wrote seems to be fact. All of the personalities of these characters seem thrown together quickly and without enough depth.

“Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which stars Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson and Anita Briem, opened everywhere on July 11, 2008.

Continuing reading for Dustin Levell’s full “Journey to the Center of the Earth” review.

Brendan Fraser stars as Trevor in New Line Cinema’s release of Eric Brevig’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth”.
Photo credit: Sebastian Raymond, New Line Cinema

Left to right: Anita Briem stars as Hannah, Brendan Fraser stars as Trevor and Josh Hutcherson stars as Sean in New Line Cinema’s release of Eric Brevig’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth”.
Photo credit: Sebastian Raymond, New Line Cinema

Continuing reading for Dustin Levell’s full “Journey to the Center of the Earth” review.

Wizard World Chicago 2008 Contest: How Many Pictured Superheroes Can You Guess?

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:57:33 -0600

CHICAGO – Greetings, true believers! Another year of Wizard World Chicago has come and gone. To help hold you off until next year, HollywoodChicago.com is hosting a contest to see who knows their masked crusaders best!

Following our pre-show coverage and pre-show slideshow, senior staff writer Dustin Levell managed to press the flesh with scores of heroes and villains on the floor of Wizard World Chicago 2008. Whether it be the Justice League of America, Legion of Doom, Alliance, Rebel or even hot girl or really scary guy, Dustin was there to meet them.

See how many of these 54 pictures of icons from the realm of comic books, sci-fi and anime you can identify. As a bonus, we’ve added four pictures for extra credit that we aren’t quite sure are identifiable characters.

The entries with the most correct answers will be entered into a drawing to win fun prizes. We promise you this is challenging, fun and worth your time. We have built an online form for you to submit your answers. Keep this slideshow open in one window to see the pictures and the online form in other to submit your answers.

As you scroll through the photos, swap between the two windows and enter your answers in the online form. Submit your form when you’ve answered as many as you can. You can click “Next” or “Previous” above or jump directly to individual photos below. Good luck, and excelsior!

See our 54-image Wizard World Chicago 2008 superhero and villain slideshow and submit your answers online!

By DUSTIN LEVELL
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
dustin@hollywoodchicago.com

Wizard World Chicago 2008 Contest: How Many Pictured Superheroes Can You Guess?

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:56:32 -0600

Submit your Wizard World Chicago answers online here!

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Submit your Wizard World Chicago answers online here!

By DUSTIN LEVELL
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
dustin@hollywoodchicago.com

Amy Ryan of ‘Gone Baby Gone,’ ‘The Wire’ Signs Onto New Episodes of NBC Hit TV Show ‘The Office’

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:22:52 -0600

CHICAGO – Amy Ryan’s star just keeps rising. The breakout actress from HBO’s “The Wire,” who was nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award for her role in “Gone Baby Gone,” will be featured in at least five episodes on this coming season of NBC hit TV show “The Office”.

Amy Ryan from “Gone Baby Gone,” “The Wire” and “The Office”.
Photo credit: (source)

In season four’s finale of “The Office” (entitled “Goodbye, Toby”), Amy Ryan’s character (Holly Flax) took over the HR position from Toby Flenderson (played by Paul Lieberstein).

With the 2007 finale being her first episode, Holly was teased as a potential love interest for branch boss Michael Scott (portrayed by Steve Carell). Last week, Carell signed on to do three more seasons of “The Office”. Ryan and Carell appeared together in 2007’s “Dan in Real Life”.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do with the character,” Ryan said in a Sunday Variety report, “but as it was written, there’s certainly a lot of potential. It’s a funny thing to enter a show … you’re a great fan of and it’s nice to tell lighter stories. I love the dark, grittier side of life, but it’s nice to take a break from that, put a skirt on and brush your hair.”

Though the fan-favorite Toby is gone from the screen, Lieberstein – a writer and actor on the show since the first season – will continue on as an executive producer through the fifth season of “The Office”. Lieberstein added in the Variety report: “Amy gave the character of Holly an openness and matured innocence that exposed a new side of Michael. She placed her character right on his level.”

Ryan has more projects set for the big screen including “Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone” and Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling”.

By DUSTIN LEVELL
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
dustin@hollywoodchicago.com

Wizard World Chicago in Full Swing; Geeks Rejoice as Comic Expo Will Be Largest in Local History

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:11:21 -0600

CHICAGO – Thursday kicks off the annual Wizard World Chicago comic book convention, which runs June 26 through June 29, 2008.

Comic book and toy collectors from around the world are gathering at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont to hock goods, spread rumors and revel in all things geeky. Here’s a breakdown of some of the fun.

See our 12-slide Wizard World Chicago 2008 image slideshow.

“Batman: Gotham Knight” (the film that bridges the gap between 2005’s “Batman Begins” and 2008’s “The Dark Knight”) will have its world premiere on Saturday night.

Following the premiere, writers Brian Azzarello, Alan Burnett, Josh Olson, Greg Rucka and executive producer Bruce Timm will take part in a special panel and Q&A session moderated by DC Comics senior vice president of creative affairs Gregory Noveck.

The creative team will then participate in a public signing on Sunday morning.
Special guest Missy Peregrym from the hit TV shows “Reaper” and “Heroes” will sit down with Kevin Mahadeo from Wizard Magazine during a Saturday Q&A panel.
Guest of honor Warren Ellis will be at the show every day from Thursday to Sunday courtesy of Avatar Press. During his special nighttime event on Friday at 9:30 p.m., Ellis will discuss a variety of topics and give fans a rare glimpse into his unparalleled personality.
On Saturday at 2 p.m., you can learn how students at Chicago’s Flashpoint Academy are working on the exciting visual effects for the soon-to-be-released film “Space Pirates”.

The visual effects supervisor for the film “Space Pirates” (also chair of the visual effects and animation department at Flashpoint Academy) will be on hand to show how the effects are being created. Work representing the students and professionals will be discussed.
Venom and Phoenix from the hit NBC series “American Gladiators” will be showing clips and giving away behind-the-scenes secrets during their question-and-answer session on Friday.
The creators of the “[adult swim]” series “Moral Orel” will participate in a panel on Saturday during which you’ll hear about the making of this Emmy Award-winning, stop-motion animated show. Present at the panel will be Dino Stamatopoulos (“Late Night with Conan O’Brien”), Chicago’s Scott Adsit (“30 Rock”) and Chris McKay. They’re oh-so offensive and oh-so funny.

Six of the seven artists who formed Image Comics, which has gone on to be one of the biggest comic companies of all time, will reunite on Saturday.

Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Whilce Portacio, Erik Larsen, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino will discuss the past, present and future of the company that brought you “Spawn,” “WildC.A.T.s,” “Savage Dragon,” “Youngblood” and more.

Wizard World Chicago takes its first step into the world of live music with the invigorating J-pop sound of ORESKABAND, which is currently one of the hottest bands in Japan.
Photo credit: Wizard Entertainment

With the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” movie and TV series hot on the horizon, Lucasfilm “head of fan relations” Steve Sansweet will have much to share with fans at Wizard World Chicago.
Sansweet’s presentation will reveal exciting looks into the upcoming animated movie and series as well as into LucasArts’ breathtaking new game “The Force Unleashed”.
Image Comics’ writer Robert Kirkman will be the subject of a look at his work on “Invincible,” “The Walking Dead,” “The Astounding Wolf-Man” and “Brit” during a panel on Friday.
On Thursday night at 7 p.m., all 100 original Hulk covers for Marvel’s recent Hulk No. 1 will be on display for the first and only time at a “green-room event”. Only 200 admission tickets will be sold with all proceeds going to benefit the The Hero Initiative.

“The Great Debate: Bendis vs. Johns” pits two of the hottest writers in comics – Marvel heavyweight Brian Michael Bendis and DC Comics titan Geoff Johns – against each other as they debate some of the most controversial topics in the industry.

Special guest Missy Peregrym from the hit TV shows “Reaper” and “Heroes” will sit down with Kevin Mahadeo from Wizard Magazine during a Saturday Q&A panel.
Photo credit: Wizard Entertainment

The convention takes its first step into the world of live music with the invigorating J-pop sound of ORESKABAND, which is currently one of the hottest bands in Japan.
The concert, which is free to convention attendees, will take place on Friday evening. Prior to the concert, ORESKABAND will be signing autographs on Friday at 1 p.m. in the fountain area.
In Saturday’s “Spawn to the Future” panel, “Spawn” creator Todd McFarlane makes a special guest appearance at Wizard World Chicago to introduce the new “Spawn” creative team.

Writer Brian Holguin, artist Whilce Portacio and McFarlane himself who will co-plot the stories and lay out the pages while revealing secrets about the book’s upcoming new direction.
There will be two tournament halls set up for gaming. Players will be competing all weekend in scheduled HeroClix battles for the title of North American national champion in the WizKids tournament hall. There will also be non-stop, around-the-clock gaming in the Wizards of the Coast hall.
There will be a “Women in Comics” panel on Sunday at noon. Gail Simone (“Wonder Woman” writer), Kristin Allen (“Aliens vs Predator: Requiem” and “Women of Marvel” sketch card artist) and Katie Cook (licensed artist for “Star Wars,” DC and Marvel) will share their experiences and tell you how to survive and thrive in the comics industry.

They will be joined by Agnes Garbowska (“Peach and the Isle of Monsters” and “Polar Bear Princess”), Eva Hopkins (“Dark Ivory” and colorist for “Dawn”), Jann Jones (senior coordinating editor for DCU) and Carly Spade (colorist for Particle 9 Productions).
During his Saturday “Wizard School” panel, Bob Layton (Marvel’s legendary creator of “Iron Man,” “X-Factor” and “Hercules: Prince of Power”) will discuss and demonstrate some “simple rules of thumb” that any beginning artist can apply when attempting to create a comics page.

You can learn on Sunday at 11 a.m. from this visionary veteran of the comic book industry and see how to apply his knowledge and experience to your own comics work.
Mitch Breitweiser (“Captain America: The Chosen” artist) will join Ethan Van Sciver, Shane Davis, Adi Granov, Greg Horn and Aaron Lopresti for the first “Wizard World Win, Lose or Draw” panel on Sunday at 1 p.m. The assortment of artists and two fans will play for prizes.

Attendees must purchase a raffle ticket for the chance to compete on stage. All proceeds benefit The Hero Initiative.

Also, stay tuned as HollywoodChicago.com writer Dustin Levell offers his reactions and thoughts from convention attendees in the next edition of the HollywoodChicago.com podcast!

See our 12-slide Wizard World Chicago 2008 image slideshow.

By DUSTIN LEVELL
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
dustin@hollywoodchicago.com

Wizard World Chicago 2008 Slideshow: The Images of All the Action

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:55:53 -0600

CHICAGO – Wizard World Chicago 2008 takes place from June 26 to June 29, 2008 in Chicago. The jam-packed program promises to be the largest Wizard World Chicago in history. Here are the images to take you right into all the action. All images are credited to Wizard Entertainment.

Wizard World, which is the convention division of Wizard Entertainment, is a four-city tour that brings the best in comics, film, TV, anime and collectibles to Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Texas. Wizard Entertainment is an industry leader in the comic book and collectibles market.

Captions and direct links to each image in our 2008 Wizard World Chicago slideshow are below. Our June 26, 2008 pre-show coverage on Wizard World Chicago can be found here.

wizardworld1.jpg: “Batman: Gotham Knight”
wizardworld2.jpg: Brian Michael Bendis
wizardworld3.jpg: The creators of Image Comics
wizardworld4.jpg: Missy Peregrym from TV’s “Reaper” and “Heroes”
wizardworld5.jpg: From left to right: Dino Stamatopoulos (“Late Night with Conan O’Brien”), Chicago’s Scott Adsit (“30 Rock” and Second City) and Chris McKay of “Morel Orel”
wizardworld6.jpg: “Batman: Gotham Knight”
wizardworld7.jpg: “Batman: Gotham Knight”
wizardworld8.jpg: “Batman: Gotham Knight”
wizardworld9.jpg: “Secret Invasion” by Brian Michael Bendis
wizardworld10.jpg: “Stare Wars: The Clone Wars”
wizardworld11.jpg: Warren Ellis
wizardworld12.jpg: ORESKABAND

By DUSTIN LEVELL
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
dustin@hollywoodchicago.com