HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News

Blu-Ray Review: See ‘Star Trek’ in a New Way With HD Season Two

Star Trek Season 2

CHICAGO – While you count the days until the beloved reboot of “Star Trek” hits Blu-Ray and DVD on November 17th, new and old fans should check back in with the original crew of the Enterprise in Paramount’s excellent 7-disc HD set, bursting with not only dozens of special features but enhanced visual effects and audio. This season of “Star Trek” has never looked like this.

CBS’ ‘The Good Wife,’ ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Get Full-Season Orders

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CHICAGOCBS freshman dramas, and the top two new series, “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “The Good Wife” have been given a full 2009-2010 season pickup.

Blu-Ray Review: Music History Chronicled in ‘The Complete Monterey Pop Festival’

Monterey Pop

CHICAGO – The Criterion Collection recently released a timeless document of one of the most important events in music history, The Monterey Pop Festival of 1967. Not only does this legendary fest include some seminal visuals, including Jimi Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire and Pete Townshend smashing his, but it captures a nation on the cusp of something amazing, not just musically but socially.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Year One’ Fails to Deliver a Single Laugh

Year One

CHICAGO – Here’s a thoroughly detestable comedy from some of the most appealing people in Hollywood. It could easily be mistaken for one of the fake movies advertised before “Tropic Thunder,” which cleverly spoofed the creative bankruptcy that befalls so many mainstream studio products.

Interview: Michael Stuhlbarg’s Passion in Joel, Ethan Coen’s ‘A Serious Man’

CHICAGO – In “A Serious Man,” the remarkable new film by Joel and Ethan Coen, Michael Stuhlbarg carries the narrative weight through his amazing performance as Larry Gopnik, the put-upon victim of a series of odd and desperate circumstances.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 ‘Ong bak 2’ Chicago Passes to Tony Jaa Martial Arts Film

CHICAGO – In our latest martial arts edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 admit-two passes up for grabs to the Chicago screening of the new martial arts film “Ong bak 2” starring martial arts master Tony Jaa.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season’

TSCC

CHICAGO – The excellent Blu-Ray release for the second season of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” highlights what worked about this series that was cancelled far too soon. There were storytelling flaws and a male lead that never quite worked, but “SCC” delivered theatrical caliber sci-fi entertainment every week and it looks absolutely amazing in HD. It’s a show that will be missed.

DVD Review: Third Season of Emmy-Winning ‘30 Rock’

30 Rock

CHICAGO – Maybe you’ve heard of a little show called “30 Rock”? It doesn’t set the ratings on fire but critics and award-giving bodies go crazy for it like kids with pixie sticks. Personally, I think the third season of “30 Rock” was a slight step down from the second, but there’s no denying that this is one of the best comedies on television, as its recent major wins at the Emmys proved yet again.

Video: Trailer For Remake of ‘The Crazies’ With Timothy Olyphant

The Crazies

CHICAGO – We know that remakes aren’t supposed to get us excited, especially when they’re remakes of classics like George A. Romero’s “The Crazies,” but this preview totally works and we just had to share.

Video: Launch Trailer For ‘Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2’

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

CHICAGO – The highly acclaimed and anticipated “Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2” hit store shelves recently and fans of Spiderman, Wolverine, Iron Man, and the rest of the Marvel gang should check out the awesome trailer that Activision sent over and stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for an upcoming full review.

Theater Review: New Play ‘SunChoke’ is a Dereliction of Beauty

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CHICAGO – “Beautiful,” I said to Josh Arteaga, the playwright of “SunChoke,” after experiencing his post-apocalyptic narrative at the Raven Theater. Why that particular word would come out of such dread is emblematic of the entirety.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Henry’ Remains an Indelible ‘Portrait’ of a Sociopath

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

CHICAGO – Twenty-three years after it was made, and nineteen years after its limited theatrical release, “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” is as potent and relevant as ever. Filmmaker John McNaughton, along with writing partner Richard Fire, proved that true horror is found not in manufactured scares that jolt the audience like a theme park ride, but in the corrupted mind and soul of an evil being.

DVD Review: ‘Lymelife’ is the Same Old Story

Lymelife

CHICAGO – Only a few short weeks ago, I sat through the two-hour shrug-fest that is Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” and lamented how so many of the film’s interactions between parents and the younger generation were played for cartoonish laughs instead of striving for the haunting poignancy of the director’s 1997 family drama “The Ice Storm.” Well, upon viewing Derick Martini’s “Lymelife,” I determined that the cliché is true: Be careful what you wish for.

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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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