August 2009

Another Sequel to Will Smith’s ‘Bad Boys’ in the Works

Bad Boys II

CHICAGOReuters has reported that Columbia Pictures is currently working on the third installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise. As of now, they are hiring a writer to write the screenplay.

Video Game Review: ‘Madden NFL 10’ Another Quality Release in Legendary Franchise

CHICAGO – What more can possibly be written about EA’s unbelievably successful line of football games that bear the name of one of the best announcers in the history of the sport? If you haven’t played a “Madden” release by now (the latest “Madden NFL 10” is now available for PS3, XBox 360, PSP, and Wii), then you haven’t really played video games.

TV on Blu-Ray Round Up: ‘Lie to Me,’ ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ ‘Life After People’

Lie to Me BD

CHICAGO – There have been some very cool TV on Blu-Ray releases lately that we wanted to make sure you, our loyal readers, knew about, including “Life After People,” “Lie to Me,” and “Sons of Anarchy”.

The CW Fall 2009 Premiere Dates Including ‘90210,’ ‘Melrose Place,’ ‘Gossip Girl,’ More

Melrose Place

CHICAGO – The CW has announced their fall premiere dates and the season kicks off with two of the most anticipated premieres, the return of the second season of “90210” and the premiere of “Melrose Place,” both on Tuesday, September 8th. Including “Melrose,” the network has three new programs for fall 2009 (the other two are “The Beautiful Life” and “The Vampire Diaries”).

ABC Fall 2009 Premiere Dates Including ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Castle,’ More

FlashForward

CHICAGOABC has announced their fall premiere dates and the season really starts for the network with the return of “Dancing With the Stars” and “Castle” on Monday, September 21st. The network has a very aggressive slate of new programs coming your way including “The Forgotten,” “Modern Family,” “Cougar Town,” “Eastwick,” “FlashForward,” “Hank,” and “The Middle”.

Blu-Ray Review: Fans Will Love ‘Hannah Montana: The Movie,’ Others Should Stay Away

Hannah Montana: The Movie

CHICAGO – This critic is not ashamed to admit when a teen-driven phenomenon works, having given positive reviews to most of Zac Efron’s filmography, but Disney’s “Hannah Montana: The Movie” is too absolutely for hardcore fans only. Everyone old enough to pay for the Blu-Ray themselves are likely to be turned off.

NBC Fall 2009 Premiere Dates Including ‘The Office,’ ‘30 Rock,’ ‘Heroes,’ More

The Office

CHICAGONBC has announced their fall premiere dates and it all kicks off with the highly anticipated premiere of “The Jay Leno Show” at 9pm CT on Monday, September 14th. The network has scheduled two new dramas - “Mercy” & “Trauma” - and one new comedy - “Community”.

Slideshow: 10-Image Gallery For Diablo Cody’s ‘Jennifer’s Body’ With Megan Fox

| Image 1 of 10 |
After being possessed by a hungry demon, small town high school student Jennifer (Megan Fox) transitions from being high school evil - gorgeous (and doesnt she know it), stuck up and ultra-attitudinal - to the real deal: evil/evil.

CHICAGO – This 10-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Jennifer’s Body,” starring Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons, and Johnny Simmons. The film was written by Diablo Cody and directed by Karyn Kusama and opens on September 18th, 2009. It is rated R.

Ang Lee’s ‘Taking Woodstock’ Lays Down Too Mellow a Vibe to Be Memorable

CHICAGO – More about the vibe surrounding the three days of peace and love that would become the most influential festival in history than the actual music itself, Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” is a frustrating drama with individual elements that work but a cinematic set list that is ultimately disjointed and unsatisfying.

Ang Lee’s ‘Taking Woodstock’ Lays Down Too Mellow a Vibe to Be Memorable

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – More about the vibe surrounding the three days of peace and love that would become the most influential festival in history than the actual music itself, Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” is a frustrating drama with individual elements that work but a cinematic set list that is ultimately disjointed and unsatisfying.

Death Cab For Cutie’s ‘Equinox’ to Be First Single From ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’

The Twilight Saga: New Moon movie poster

CHICAGOMTV has confirmed that the first single from the “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” soundtrack will be Death Cab For Cutie’s “Meet Me on the Equinox.” The song will debut exclusively on MTV’s website on the day of the MTV Video Music Awards, September 13th, 2009.

Blu-Ray Review: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt Sparkle in ‘Sunshine Cleaning’

Sunshine Cleaning

CHICAGO – Christine Jeffs’ “Sunshine Cleaning” has its ups and downs, its pros and cons, but it’s worth a look, now on Blu-Ray and DVD, for one of the most delightful, multi-faceted performances of the year from one of the better actresses of her generation. What Amy Adams delivers in “Sunshine Cleaning” is her most interesting turn since “Junebug”. Even with an average Blu-Ray release, Adams makes “Cleaning” worth at least a rental on its own.

Summer Glau Joins Cast of Joss Whedon’s ‘Dollhouse’ With Eliza Dushku

Summer Glau

CHICAGOSummer Glau (“Firefly,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) is reuniting with Joss Whedon for the second season of “Dollhouse” this fall as she joins the cast in a recurring role. The actress previously worked with Whedon on the TV series “Firefly”. During this year’s ComicCon, Whedon expressed intense interest in having Glau join the series.

CBS Fall 2009 Premiere Dates For ‘The Mentalist,’ ‘CSI,’ ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ More

The Good Wife

CHICAGOCBS has announced their fall premiere dates and the network is starting with one of their ratings juggernauts with the launch of “Survivor: Samoa” on September 17th.

Interview: Director Marc Fienberg on How to ‘Play the Game’ With Andy Griffith

CHICAGO – When Marc Fienberg, first time director/writer of ‘Play the Game,’ was casting the role inspired by his grandfather, little did he know he soon would be working with the film and TV legend Andy Griffith.

New Movie Trailer, Poster Released For Michael Cera’s ‘Youth in Revolt’

CHICAGO – The new movie trailer and poster for the upcoming comedy “Youth in Revolt” with Michael Cera have been released and appear below for your indulgence.

‘The Search For Sexy’ at the 2009 Chicago International Film Festival

CHICAGO – The Chicago International Film Festival celebrates its 45th Anniversary with “The Search for Sexy,” a revitalization of the Festival’s famous Skrebneski collectible poster series.

Slideshow: 13-Image Gallery For ‘Whiteout’ With Kate Beckinsale

| Image 1 of 13 |
Kate Beckinsale as Carrie Stetko.

CHICAGO – This 13-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Whiteout,” starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, and Tom Skerritt. The film was written by Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber and directed by Dominic Sena (“Swordfish”) and opens on September 11th, 2009. It is rated R.

DVD Review: Excellence Continues With Twelfth Season of ‘The Simpsons’

The Simpsons S12

CHICAGO – Since Fox released the first season of “The Simpsons” on DVD, fans of the series have anticipated each new release like a kid waiting for presents for a fat man in a red suit to fall down a chimney in late December. Each season set for “The Simpsons” has set the bar for what TV on DVD should be. It’s no surprise that the twelfth season doesn’t change the excellent pattern.

Blu-Ray Review: Third Season of ‘Dexter’ With Michael C. Hall, Jimmy Smits

Dexter

CHICAGO – The buzz around “Dexter” seems to grow louder with each passing season. With the fourth chapter of this dark, demented, delightful drama about to debut on Showtime, catch up with the third season, now available on Blu-Ray and DVD, starring Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Jimmy Smits, Julie Benz, David Zayas, and Lauren Velez.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Passes to ‘Taking Woodstock’ Chicago Screening With Emile Hirsch

CHICAGO – In our latest trippy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated Chicago screening of “Taking Woodstock” from Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain” and “Sense and Sensibility”).

DVD Review: ‘Tyson’ is One of the Best Documentaries of 2009

Tyson

CHICAGO – To a lot of people out there, the very concept of James Toback’s “Tyson” might sound overwhelming. Spending ninety minutes with a man as intense, controversial, and even scary as Mike Tyson could have been a nightmare. But in the hands of the very talented Toback (“Bugsy,” “Fingers”), “Tyson” is a riveting portrait of a life lived in the public eye but barely understood by it.

Exclusive Portrait: ‘Weather Girl’ Star Tricia O’Kelley in Chicago

CHICAGO – “Weather Girl” star and producer Tricia O’Kelley (who began her acting career in Chicago) recently beamed a sunny and warm smile for the HollywoodChicago.com lens before the first of her two audience Q&As for her new film.

Blu-Ray Review: Great Coming-of-Age Story in ‘Adventureland’

Adventureland

CHICAGO – Jesse Eisenberg (“The Squid and the Whale”) and Kristen Stewart (“The Twilight Saga: New Moon”) star in the delightful and expertly written “Adventureland,” a slice of ’80s coming-of-age that truly delivers with clever dialogue, well-rounded characters, and excellent performances. One of the best comedies of the year is now available on Blu-Ray.

DVD Review: Tilda Swinton Mesmerizes in Thrilling ‘Julia’

Julia

CHICAGO – Tilda Swinton, Oscar winner for “Michael Clayton,” gives the best female performance of the year to date in the riveting, thrilling, excellent “Julia,” now available on DVD and one of the best films of 2009 that you probably haven’t seen. The lack of special features on the Magnolia-produced DVD (and its lack of existence on Blu-Ray) is a bet of a let-down but the film is an underrated gem that should find a loyal audience on the home market.

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ With Brad Pitt Lives Up to Expectations

CHICAGO – What truly distinguishes Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” from the cookie-cutter marketplace also makes its impact incredibly difficult to put into words.

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ With Brad Pitt Lives Up to Expectations

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.5/5.0
Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – What truly distinguishes Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” from the cookie-cutter marketplace also makes its impact incredibly difficult to put into words. It’s a film that’s impossible to pin down - a thriller, drama, comedy, action film, and a slice of revisionist history played as modern revenge fantasy. And it’s a total blast.

Paul Giamatti Does More With Less in ‘Cold Souls’

Paul Giamatti in 'Cold Souls'

CHICAGO – How is the best way to discover the elusiveness of the soul? For Paul Giamatti, playing himself, the key is to store the legendary organ into the deep freeze, in his new absurdist comedy, “Cold Souls.”

Paul Giamatti Does More With Less in ‘Cold Souls’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – How is the best way to discover the elusiveness of the soul? For Paul Giamatti, playing himself, the key is to store the legendary organ into the deep freeze, in his new absurdist comedy, “Cold Souls.”

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  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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