Rise of the Planet of the Apes

CHICAGO – One could say that “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” director Rupert Wyatt has been pretty lucky. But even he’ll tell you that with his followup feature, “The Gambler,” he could be back to zero.

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 30 pairs of IMAX movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated “Oblivion” with Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman!

CHICAGO – Another year, another bunch of people who call themselves Oscar pundits bitching and moaning. It wouldn’t be late January without it.

CHICAGO – The nominations for this year’s Visual Effects Society Awards have been announced, and it is hard to say that there are any surprises. Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin” lead the way with six different nominations.

CHICAGO – Have a gift card burning a hole in your wallet? Want a new movie? There are few better options for new release Blu-rays than Fox’s stellar reboot, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” one of the most surprising critical and commercial smashes of 2011. The special features are extensive and impressive and the movie holds up remarkably on repeat viewing. Expertly directed by Rupart Wyatt, who perfectly choreographs amazing cinematography and effects work,and featuring a landmark mo-cap performance from Andy Serkis, this isn’t just a must-see, it’s a must-own.

CHICAGO – After becoming the surprise hit of the summer, a “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” star is getting a well-deserved pay check. You may assume I am talking about James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Tom Felton, or any of the other actors who portrayed people on screen. However, this pay raise goes to the apes.

CHICAGO – Somebody better get Doc Brown on the phone because I think we have gone back to 1994. For the first time in 17 years, “The Lion King” is the title that won the weekend box office. The new release, which, of course, must be in 3D, raked in enough dough to beat out last week’s winner “Contagion” as well as the new releases “Drive,” “Straw Dogs” and “I Don’t Know How She Does It”.

CHICAGO – Steven Soderbergh’s new Sci-Fi/Thriller “Contagion” hit the box office with a bang this past weekend, knocking out the three-week champ “The Help,” which finished a distant second place in box office totals.

For the third week in a row, a first for the year 2011, the same film has finished number one at the box office. The drama “The Help” finished in the top spot for the third week in a row in its fourth weekend in theaters. This is quite the accomplishment considering the film finished in second place in its opening weekend, the weekend the film produced the highest numbers.  

CHICAGO – Hurricane Irene caused some drops in the number of attendees out on the east coast this weekend, but “The Help” was still able to come in at number one at the box office, marking the second week in a row where the film led the pack. This is quite the accomplishment considering the film finished in second place in its debut weekend and came in as the front runner in its second and third weeks in the theaters.