Mike Epps

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on a 3-Station Broadcast … Star 96.7 Joliet (IL), Star 102.3 Waukegan and Star 105.5 McHenry on January 5th, reviewing the new film featuring Snoop Dogg entitled “The Underdoggs.” Streaming on Prime Video beginning January 26th.

CHICAGO – Given the shocking circumstances of Whitney Houston’s passing, it is a bit disconcerting to see her vibrantly alive again in the new film “Sparkle.” However, if she was still with us, this trifling and dull film would soon be forgotten. Jordan Sparks, Derek Luke and Carmen Ejogo co-star.

CHICAGO – Stepping up from American Idol winner to a major film lead role looks smooth and easy for Jordin Sparks. She won Idol in 2007, released a couple of multi-platinum albums, and now plays the title character in “Sparkle,” which also has the final on-screen performance of Whitney Houston. It all seems natural for this major talent.

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 30 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of “Sparkle” starring Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks and Cee Lo Green!

CHICAGO- Classic films that entertained fans during their release and the years that have followed are apparently too good to be left alone in present day Hollywood. “True Grit” “Fame” and the new “Footloose” are all prime examples of films derived from a previous movie, and it looks like you can add “Point Break” and “Sparkle” to that list.

CHICAGO – Salim Akil’s “Jumping the Broom” is the sort of sociological comedy so hell-bent on smothering the audience in a sentimental love-fest that it quickly softens its potentially biting premise. Akil’s background in television (“The Game,” “Girlfriends”) may explain why the film feels like an uneasy melding of sitcom and soap opera clichés. Any time the film threatens to become interesting, it instantly goes into autopilot.

CHICAGO – There is a tradition within the African American community during weddings. It stems from the past, when marriage was deemed illegal for the race, and provides the title for a new film, “Jumping the Broom.” The now symbolic gesture is the basis for a clash between families and social classses in one seriocomic marriage weekend.

CHICAGO – In our latest comedy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 35 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Jumping the Broom”!

CHICAGO – The Action Film is getting a bit creaky, relying more on computer generated eye candy than character or plot. It is refreshing to experience a film like “Faster,” featuring Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton, because it is an action film that means something, and puts its inhabitants on a path to their own salvation.

CHICAGO – The comedy “Lottery Ticket,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, is so forgettable that it seems almost mean to pile on top of the negative reviews that greeted it in theaters. It’s not a horrible film, mostly because of the charms of its three leads, but there’s just not much nice to say about it either. It’s bearable and mildly-diverting, but with so many other great released on the market this month, don’t you want more than that faint praise?