Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Blu-ray Review: ‘Big Miracle’ Turns Cynical Satire Into Simpering Hokum

Big Miracle Blu-ray

CHICAGO – At a time when even the US Congress can’t work together to solve a problem, Ken Kwapis’ ham-fisted cinematic “Kumbaya” session, “Big Miracle,” feels especially cheap. It’s the latest stinker to solidify the theory that a stamp of approval from Heartland Truly Moving Pictures is the equivalent of a scarlet letter for any viewers desiring to be truly moved.

Blu-ray Review: Predictable ‘Safe House’ Salvaged by Top-Notch Cast

CHICAGO – Some studios seem hellbent on going out of their way to diminish audience expectations prior to a film’s release. The thoughtful, quietly powerful thriller, “The Grey,” was marketed to resemble a silly man vs. wolf action blockbuster, and yet still managed to have a big opening weekend at the box office. Are mainstream audiences seduced by the promise of dreck?

Blu-ray Review: ‘Love Never Dies’ Fails to Conjure Power of Original ‘Phantom’

Love Never Dies Blu-ray

CHICAGO – The astonishing financial success of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” is a testament to the enduring power of spectacle. Sure, Charles Hart and Robert Stilgoe’s pedestrian lyrics may have all the charm of plywood, but audiences couldn’t care less with an unstable chandelier dangling over their heads and a wealth of atmospheric scenery filling their field of vision.

Blu-ray Review: ‘The Grey’ Offers Liam Neeson His Best Role in Years

The Grey Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Joe Carnahan’s “The Grey” is one of the first great surprises of 2012, a thriller more interested in the inner turmoil of its characters than gratuitous bloodletting. The cynical bait-and-switch of its marketing campaign is easier to forgive considering the superior nature of the actual film. It’s vastly more thoughtful and moving than one would expect.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Pariah’ Features Adepero Oduye’s Star-Making Performance

Pariah Blu-ray 1

CHICAGO – 2011 featured a series of uncommonly affecting films from female directors about young women grappling with their sexual identities. In all three cases, the heroines strain to keep their lesbianism a secret from their families. Céline Sciamma’s “Tomboy” centered on a 10-year-old girl who posed as a boy, while Maryam Keshavarz’s “Circumstance” explored the forbidden romance of two Iranian teens.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Johnny English Reborn’ Fails to Realize Comic Potential

Johnny English Reborn Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Just as every country desires to have its own take on “The Office,” every country needs its own Clouseau. The sheer number of bumbling detectives in cinema are too vast to count, though a few deserve to stand out, such as Jean Dujardin’s suavely clueless OSS 117. Johnny English, on the other hand, deserves to be placed at the back of the crowd, in between Steve Martin and Roberto Benigni.

Blu-ray Review: Jessica Chastain Compensates For Flawed Script in ‘The Debt’

The Debt Blu-ray

CHICAGO – It’s little surprise that Jessica Chastain has received so much attention during this year’s awards season. Thanks to a series of release date delays, six of her films were released in 2011, each featuring an entirely different role for the strikingly versatile actress. From her slapstick pratfalls in “The Help” to her ethereal grace in “The Tree of Life,” Chastain displayed a remarkable range that has made it impossible for moviegoers to tear their eyes away from her.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Has Little Fun With High Concept

Cowboys and Aliens Blu-ray

CHICAGO – For all of its ambition and integrity, Jon Favreau’s “Cowboys & Aliens” is a dull genre exercise devoid of charm or wit. Whereas “Iron Man” got a great deal of mileage out of Robert Downey Jr.’s deadpan persona, this sci-fi/western hybrid is marred by its two one-note leads: the morose Daniel Craig and the snarly Harrison Ford. Viewers expecting a “Bond meets Indy” lark a la “The Last Crusade” will be sorely disappointed.

Blu-ray Review: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess Lend Humanity to ‘One Day’

One Day Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Director Lone Scherfig has a keen eye for observation when charting the coming-of-age and disillusionment of characters awakening to life’s injustices. Her superb 2009 film, “An Education,” followed the painful yet vital journey of a young woman who discovers what she truly wants out of life. “One Day” is a more pessimistic film, since it focuses on the various obstacles preventing one from living the life they desire until it’s too late.

Interview: Need For Speed With ‘Fast Five’ Star Tyrese Gibson

CHICAGO – The familiar character actor Tyrese Gibson is on a roll. The singer, author and actor has recurring roles in two big film franchises, including the portrayal of Roman Pearce in “Fast Five,” set to release on Blu-Ray and DVD on Oct. 4, 2011.

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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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