The Artist

CHICAGO - It’s scary that I live in a world where that most gamers didn’t start with the Nintendo Entertainment system like I, and my peers, did. Having the first three levels of “Super Mario Bros.” memorized, playing “Teenage Mutant NInja Turtles The Arcade Game” until the way-too-late hour of 11pm on a school night, and nearly ending friendships over “Battletoads” were experiences I once thought universal to all game players.

CHICAGO – Wouldn’t you think that the release of the last Best Picture winner from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would be an event? I know we’ve reached a point where public opinion and the Oscars are arguably further apart than ever before but wouldn’t think that Sony would treat their most-respected film critically with “Special Edition” degrees of Blu-ray features. The release of “The Artist” last week is a decent one but not what one would expect given the pedigree of the film.

CHICAGO – Joel Murray, as most people know, comes from the Murray clan of Wilmette, Illinois, which includes his fellow actor brothers Brian Doyle and Bill. He has established himself as a memorable TV and movie character actor, and portrays a man gone wild in the Bobcat Goldthwait-directed “God Bless America.”

CHICAGO – Welcome to the HollywoodChicago.com coverage of the 84th annual Academy Awards. This awards telecast honors the best in film for 2011 and will be hosted by Billy Crystal at 7:30 p.m. CST tonight on ABC.

CHICAGO – Content Director Brian Tallerico and Staff Writers Matt Fagerholm, Tim Martens and Patrick McDonald have merged their movie-loving minds and come up with the ultimate Oscar preview.

CHICAGO – Big news in the streaming/online rental world. Netflix and The Weinstein Company have signed an agreement that will give Netflix the access to hit Weinstein Company films before they appear on pay cable channels. This is a big triumph for Netflix, who as we all know was struggling over the last year due to some questionable increases in rate.

CHICAGO – Just as it is predicted to do two Sundays from today, “The Artist” dominated the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) today, winning seven different awards. The silent, black-and-white film won Best Film, Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius), and Best Lead Actor (Jean Dujardin), and four other wins.

CHICAGO – By today’s standards, “Wings” would be more expensive than any movie ever made. That’s what an undertaking this legendary film was for Paramount in the ’20s. The biggest studio in the world set out to make the biggest film in history, presenting viewers with things they had never seen before and pushing the boundaries of what was capable on celluloid. Sadly, “Wings” has somewhat become an answer to a trivia question and the remarkable quality of the film itself has been underappreciated by time. This glorious Blu-ray restoration should help fix that oversight.

CHICAGO – The character actor has always been a fixture in Hollywood culture, and there are few as unique as James Cromwell. He’s had many memorable roles in films like “Babe,” “L.A. Confidential” and within the “Star Trek” legacy. Currently, he portrays Clifton in the Oscar-nominated “The Artist.”

CHICAGO – Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” became the most Oscar-nominated film of 2011 on Tuesday morning, leading the way with eleven nominations but followed closely by “The Artist” with ten nods.