Category: News & Views

I Saw "The Hunt" in a Movie Theater and Lived to Tell About It

I Saw "The Hunt" in a Movie Theater and Lived to Tell About It
Coronavirus has its grip on the world. People are working from home. School is cancelled. Social distancing is encouraged. Toilet paper is running out. Hand sanitizer is already long gone. Studios are delaying their big-budget tentpoles to later this year (No Time to Die) or next year (F9) or some unknown date (A Quiet Place... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
March 14, 2020 at 3:30 pm • 

Oscar Predictions 2020

Oscar Predictions 2020
Call it a fool’s errand, but it’s February and that means it’s time to predict who the Academy will reward at the Oscars. One thing about predicting the Oscars – it doesn’t really matter if you’ve seen everything. Sometimes that just gets in the way. I often find myself picking with my heart instead of... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
February 5, 2020 at 11:06 pm • 

Hammervision is Taking a Break

Hello dear readers! As you may have noticed, the content on the blog has slowed down in recent months. After consistently blogging every week on this ChicagoNow site and others for the last 10 years (!), Hammervision will be taking a break for the foreseeable future. Don’t worry though. John will still be posting movie... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
August 1, 2018 at 9:00 am • 
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Summer Movie Forecast 2018

Summer Movie Forecast 2018
If I’m getting a late start on this year’s Summer Movie Forecast, it’s only because the summer movie season keeps getting earlier. With the release of Avengers: Infinity War a week early – on April 26 – summer officially began in April. Soon, we’ll just have huge blockbusters all year round. Black Panther is just... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
May 10, 2018 at 4:26 pm • 

Ready Player One and All of Spielberg's Movies Ranked

Ready Player One and All of Spielberg's Movies Ranked
Ready Player One is in theaters now, and Film Twitter is deeply divided, as it is with nearly everything these days. Well, except for Paddington 2 and Black Panther. I have no interest in any of the hot takes about how it ignores Gamergate, fails to adequately portray The Iron Giant, or relies too heavily... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
April 8, 2018 at 2:12 pm • 

Most Anticipated Movies of 2018

Most Anticipated Movies of 2018
Now that we’re a few weeks into the new year, and, with the release of The Post and Phantom Thread, can finally put 2017 in our rear view mirror, it’s time to look ahead to the most anticipated movies of 2018! To help out with this post (heck, it was actually his idea to do... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
January 14, 2018 at 4:26 pm • 
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15 Awesome Halloween Costume Ideas From This Year's Movies (2017)

15 Awesome Halloween Costume Ideas From This Year's Movies (2017)
Halloween is only 10 days away now. If you’ve put off deciding on your costume until the last minute, Hammervision is here to help. Here are 15 awesome Halloween costume ideas from this year’s movies that will surely please the movie and pop culture-literate folks at your party, trick ‘r treat outing, or workplace function. Some are more... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
October 21, 2017 at 3:40 pm • 

Dead Draw Comes Home to Chicago on October 5

Dead Draw Comes Home to Chicago on October 5
Movies take a long time to make. I should know. I laid witness to the whole process having co-produced and served as legal counsel on the movie, Dead Draw. The good news is we actually have something to show for it after 4 years. And, you’ll be able to see it. Soon! Back in Fall 2013,... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
October 1, 2017 at 8:13 am • 

Summer Movie Scorecard 2017

Summer Movie Scorecard 2017
With Labor Day right around the corner, and nothing save for a 40th anniversary re-issue of Close Encounters of the Third Kind worth seeing in theaters, I think it’s safe to say that the summer movie season is officially over. What to make of this summer? Well, it was one dominated by one good-to-great superhero... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
September 1, 2017 at 8:39 am • 
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Summer Movie Forecast 2017

Summer Movie Forecast 2017
Though I’ve done this post every year for the last 7 years, this may be the first year where the concept of a summer movie no longer means what it once did. When Beauty and the Beast opens to $175M in March and then goes on to make $500M, or when The Fate of the... Read more »
By John Hammerle,
April 24, 2017 at 2:26 pm •