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.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
TV Review: BBC America Reboots Another Classic With ‘Demons’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 2, 2010 - 1:17pmCHICAGO – If you’re not watching BBC America, you’re not watching some of the best television available to you.
Interview Highlights of 2009: Quentin Tarantino, Jason Reitman, Rachel Weisz, More
Submitted by BrianTT on December 31, 2009 - 1:42pmCHICAGO – The staff at HollywoodChicago.com met with some living legends and some rising stars in 2009. As we prepare to bring you even more in 2010, we thought we’d look back at a few of our favorite quotes from the year. Enjoy.
Video Game Review: Kids Will Dance to ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 31, 2009 - 12:33pmCHICAGO – Reviewing games based on kids movies that are as clearly aimed at children as are the DS and Nintendo Wii tie-ins for “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” can be a tough assignment. What approach is appropriate? I generally think that I can only be honest about my personal experience with a game, but what if that game isn’t designed with my demographic in mind? Personally, I struggled with getting enjoyment out of either console version but I think some of my eight and nine-year-old relatives would love both.
DVD Round Up, Dec. 31, 2009: ‘Beyond a Reasonable Doubt,’ ‘Sita Sings the Blues’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 31, 2009 - 11:56amCHICAGO – The DVD Round-Up has traveled the globe this week to bring you a diverse slate of under-the-radar titles received in the HollywoodChicago.com offices this holiday season. With so many major releases this time of year, it’s hard to cover everything, but we wanted to make sure you knew these were out there in case you have a gift card burning a hole in your pocket.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘American Pie Presents: The Book of Love’ Almost Entirely Free of Laughs
Submitted by BrianTT on December 30, 2009 - 4:02pmCHICAGO – We’ve gone from apple pie to PB-and-J. No, I’m not kidding. The opening scene of “American Pie Presents: The Book of Love” features a character turning away from internet porn so he can bang his lunch. When his dog ‘joins in,’ he doesn’t stop him. Laughing yet? If you thought this straight-to-DVD franchise had hit the bottom of the barrel before, it turns out they’ve found another barrel below the false floor and it’s filled to the brim with horrible comedy.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 VIP Chicago Party Passes For New TNT Police Drama ‘Southland’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 30, 2009 - 3:57pmCHICAGO – In our latest TV edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the VIP Chicago party for TNT’s new cop drama “Southland”!
Robert Downey Jr.’s Low-Tech ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Packs Powerful Punch
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 27, 2009 - 10:56pmCHICAGO – Instead of relying of high-tech gadgetry and big-budget Hollywood CGI, Guy Ritchie’s gritty “Sherlock Holmes” does what major films often don’t: delivers big-payoff action sequences merely utilizing the body and mind.
Colin Firth Plays a Wistful Game of Solitaire in ‘A Single Man’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 26, 2009 - 9:24amCHICAGO – There is a certain madness in the shock of grieving over a loved one who has passed that manifests itself in particular ways. Colin Firth interprets those emotions intuitively in the captivating “A Single Man.”
Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin Shine in ‘It’s Complicated’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2009 - 8:34amCHICAGO – Referring to her new film, “It’s Complicated,” Meryl Steep recently said, “It’s incredible, I’m playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies. Bette Davis is rolling over in her grave.” Tell Kate Hepburn the news.
Star-Studded ‘Nine’ With Daniel Day-Lewis Delivers Grand Musical Spectacle
Submitted by BrianTT on December 24, 2009 - 2:45pmCHICAGO – Rob Marshall’s highly anticipated “Nine” isn’t quite the complete piece that it could have been, but its flaws are easy to overlook in favor of old-fashioned, pure entertainment.
Interviews: Christmas Stars Shine With Mickey Rooney, Ernest Borgnine, Tippi Hedren, Larry Hagman
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 24, 2009 - 9:10amCHICAGO – On this Christmas Eve, we will bask in the light of sparkling film stars, and honor their legacy. Mickey Rooney, Ernest Borgnine, Tippi Hedren and Larry Hagman met admirers at the Hollywood Celebrities Show.
Interviews: ‘American Graffiti,’ ‘Laverne & Shirley’ at the Hollywood Celebrities Show
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 23, 2009 - 1:02pmCHICAGO – “Where were you in ‘62?” was the tagline for the popular 1973 film “American Graffiti.” The Hollywood Celebrities Show had most of the cast there – Cindy Williams, Charles Martin Smith, Paul LeMat and Candy Clark.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘9’ Counts on Audacious Visuals to Pull in Viewers
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 23, 2009 - 12:37pmCHICAGO – Seventy years ago, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released a haunting animated short named “Peace On Earth.” Director Hugh Harman set his story in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited only by animals, who have rebuilt a society dedicated to peace and nonviolence. Mankind ultimately brought about their own extinction by forging never-ending wars.
