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.
Michael Caine
Film Review: Don’t Buy Ticket For ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 10, 2012 - 12:57pmCHICAGO – If you hear an unusual sound this weekend, it may be Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jonathan Swift spinning in their graves. The writers who have become an essential part of any growing person’s library have now been associated with a piece of 3D junk that insults the intelligence of everyone who sees it. “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” is not a trip worth taking.
Film News: New ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer Released
Submitted by TimBMartens on December 19, 2011 - 3:00pmCHICAGO – Holy exploding football field Batman! The new trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises” has officially been released from Warner Bros., and let’s just say there is a lot to look at. Unlike the teaser trailer that premiered before Harry Potter last summer, this new trailer gives us a full look at the cast of characters and some of the unbelievable sequences Christopher Nolan has ready for us in his third and final Batman film.
Blu-ray Review: Pixar’s ‘Cars 2’ Represents Low For Legendary Company
Submitted by BrianTT on November 14, 2011 - 1:49pmCHICAGO – “Cars 2,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, is disappointing in 1,000 ways. It would be a lackluster family film no matter who made it but the fact that the most important movie studio of the last twenty years, Pixar, produced a film this boring, uninspired, offensive, and just plain horrendous is nearly soul-crushing. This critic counts “WALL-E,” “Finding Nemo,” and all three “Toy Story” movies among the best films ever made. It’s hard to believe “Cars 2” came from the same production company. It’s barely even the same genre.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 Blu-Ray, DVD Combo Packs to ‘Cars 2’ With Owen Wilson
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 28, 2011 - 2:23pmCHICAGO – In our latest animated edition of the HollywoodChicago.com Hookup, we have 5 Blu-ray and DVD combo packs up for grabs to the highly anticipated home release of “Cars 2” with Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer and other voices!
Blu-Ray Review: Controversial ‘Dressed to Kill,’ ‘Straw Dogs’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2011 - 2:21pmCHICAGO – At first glance, Brian De Palma’s “Dressed to Kill” and Sam Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs” may seem to have little in common beyond a studio and a need to be on Blu-ray. It’s common for that to the be the ONLY link (such as when “Scary Movie 2” and “Trainspotting” hit the format next week…come back for coverage). But these two actually have more in common than just a company and a spiffy new transfer. They’re a pair of controversial thrillers from two of the most interesting directors of their era. And with the remake of “Straw Dogs” about to open on Friday, perhaps it’s time we revisit them.
Slideshow: 9-Photo First Look on ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Set
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 3, 2011 - 12:16pmCHICAGO – Summer is continuing to heat up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the first images of on-set filming for the highly anticipated “The Dark Knight Rises” has emerged. The third film after “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” again features Christian Bale as The Batman and is directed by Christopher Nolan.
Film Review: Despite a Ferrari Predecessor, ‘Cars 2’ is a Honda Requiring Repair
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 24, 2011 - 4:33pmCHICAGO – “Cars 2” is an unequal Pixar blend for adults and kiddies that never evolves into the storytelling success of its predecessor. The film, which draws thematic elements from “The Bourne Identity,” “Beverly Hillbillies” and “Transformers,” is a Honda needing a body shop as compared to the pristine Ferrari that was “Cars”.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Gnomeo & Juliet’ Falls Flat as Busted Yard Display
Submitted by BrianTT on June 2, 2011 - 8:17pmCHICAGO – The animated adventure “Gnomeo & Juliet,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, features an A-list voice cast and some beloved hits by Sir Elton John, but just getting talent in the recording booth either musically or merely vocally does not a movie make and the script for this thing is so uninspired and accompanied by lackluster visuals that it’s just dull to anyone over ten.
Film News: Warner Bros. Launches ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Viral Marketing, Reveals Tom Hardy as Bane
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 20, 2011 - 10:10amCHICAGO – Warner Bros. on Friday launched the official Web site for “The Dark Knight Rises” at http://thedarkknightrises.warnerbros.com with an all-black screen and mysterious, tribal-like chanting.
Film News: Warner Bros. Officially Confirms ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Principal Photography
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 19, 2011 - 2:42pmLast update: 9:59 a.m. on May 20, 2011
CHICAGO – Warner Bros. on Thursday finally issued an official statement confirming that principal photography is under way for “The Dark Knight Rises”. That’s like telling a mom she’s a mom two weeks after she delivers. The press release contained 455 words – yes, we counted – and literally only one word in it is new. Everything else we’ve already reported.