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TV Review: The CW’s ‘The Carrie Diaries’ Tries Too Hard to Please
CHICAGO– It’s all about timing. Great teen dramedies find a very specific rhythm. It’s in the non-stop, often rapid-fire dialogue between characters overflowing with hormones, social drama, and...
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Interview: Iconic Actress P.J. Soles on Her Brilliant Career
CHICAGO– If one actress can represent an era of classic and cult movies, P.J. Soles is a pretty good candidate. Her string of roles in high profile and familiar films from the mid 1970s to early ‘80s...
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Blu-ray Review: Horrendous ‘House at the End of the Street’ Rips Off ‘Psycho’
CHICAGO– Mark Tonderai’s “House at the End of the Street” is not to be confused with this year’s “The House Across the Street” or either version of “Last House on the Left.” What Tonderai hopes you...
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Video Game Review: ‘Borderlands 2: Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt’ is Old Dog...
CHICAGO– The odds are if you own a “Borderlands 2” Season Pass, or are a member of its “Premiere Club” you’re very likely very pleased at the constant stream of high quality content being delivered to...
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Interview: Martin Landau Lends His Voice to ‘Frankenweenie’
CHICAGO– One of director Tim Burton’s great actor collaborators is the veteran performer Martin Landau. Landau voices Mr. Rsykruski, a science teacher who inspires young Victor Frankenstein in...
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Interview: Damien Echols, Lorri Davis Travel ‘West of Memphis’
CHICAGO– The story of the West Memphis Three is not over. Yes, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley are finally, mercifully, out of jail but questions still linger about who really...
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Interview: Indie Spirit Winner Adam Leon for ‘Gimme the Loot’
CHICAGO– The Independent Spirit Awards, to be announced at the ceremony on February 23rd, got a jump start on a few of their accolades last weekend. Adam Leon, director of the soon-to-be-released...
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DVD Review: Masterful ‘The Wise Kids’ Avoids Stereotypes, Opts for Honesty
CHICAGO– There was no film in 2012 that moved me more deeply or left me feeling more exhilarated than Stephen Cone’s achingly personal masterpiece, “The Wise Kids.” It’s the sort of film that I’ve been...
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HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of IMAX Passes to ‘Hansel & Gretel:...
CHICAGO– In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 pairs of IMAX movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the new...
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Blu-ray Review: Dazzling Visuals Overpower Muddled Messages in ‘Samsara’
CHICAGO– Blending the spiritual majesty of 1992’s “Baraka” with ominous overtones suggesting a world out of balance (so memorably portrayed in 1982’s “Koyaanisqatsi”), master cinematographer Ron...
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TV Review: Jim Jeffries Creates a Skewed Sitcom in ‘Legit’
CHICAGO– The tradition of the stand-up comedian evolving into a TV comedy sitcom is a long one – from George Burns to Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby to Louis CK. Jim Jeffries is throwing his funny hat into...
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TV Review: Sterling Fourth Season Premiere for ‘Archer’
CHICAGO– Not content to stand on its status as one of the top tier and weirdest animated series on TV, the season four premiere of “Archer” begins with a premise that redefines the term crossover. The...
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Film Review: ‘Mama’ is Everything Classic Horror Should Be
CHICAGO– Occasionally, along comes a filmmaker who completely understands what makes a horror film work. “Mama,” the debut of co-writer and director Andy Muschietti, contains creepy children,...
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Film Review: Common Delivers Best Work to Date in Problematic ‘LUV’
CHICAGO– Assigned the role of World’s Worst Father Figure, Common delivers a performance so compelling that it nearly makes Sheldon Candis’ blood-soaked odyssey worth the trip. Nearly, however, is the...
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Film Review: Arnold Schwarzenegger is Back in ‘The Last Stand’
CHICAGO– With enough hair plugs, bronzer and hormone injections to float a rejuvenation clinic, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back from his political meanderings and is an action star once again in the...
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2013 Sundance Diary, Day 1: Documentaries Continue to Thrive
PARKCITY, Utah – Here I am in Park City, Utah…well, sorta. The truth is that I’ve been allowed to see a number of 2013 Sundance Film Festival films early, either screening in Chicago or streaming...
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Slideshow: Stars Align at ‘The Hollywood Show’ in Chicago
CHICAGO– One of the most unique happenings in Chicago every year is “The Hollywood Show.” This annual event presents celebrities from TV and film, both from the nostalgic past and the current scene. In...
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HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes to ‘Parker’ With Jason...
CHICAGO– In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of “Parker” with Jason...
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2013 Sundance Diary, Day 2: Porn, Cannibalism & Drugs From the Frontlines of...
PARKCITY, Utah – Battling the thousands who have descended upon Park City, Utah for a small portion of their Wi-Fi bandwidth, I’m back with my second report from the frontlines of independent cinema....
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HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 Free ‘End of Watch’ Blu-rays With Jake...
CHICAGO– In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 free Blu-rays up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “End of Watch” starring Jake...
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