Escape From Planet Earth Opens 2/15! #review #giveaway

Family movie night can be a great escape.   And we just saw one that's out of this world!    With major name power on the voices, a witty script, and sweet visuals, Escape from Planet Earth is just the ticket to beat the winter blahs and have some family fun.

ChiIL Mama caught a sneak peek at Escape from Planet Earth, the Weinstein Company's latest animated 3D feature, opening nationwide on February 15th.  I took a set of reviewers with me who are 9, 10 & 11 respectively and included boys and girls.   They all thought the movie was hilarious and they had a blast!   It's action packed, has character and characters, and has a great overall message.

It's refreshing when the smart and peaceful prevail over megalomaniacs with revenge fantasies.  I though the social media quips, and creative black and white retro clips were fresh and fun.  And the insinuation that search engines, social networks, cell phones, and more were alien technology we stole, is an amusing premise.

We love that the stay at home mom IS a rocket scientist, and kicks some serious booty, the nerd has the girl, and kids are not underestimated.   Sometimes even superheroes need to be team players.   Brains can trump arms.   And the scrawny can rescue the brawny.  Check it out yourself.

ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama--WIN a rockin' Movie-Goers goodie bag

which includes popcorn, candy and a $25 gift card for our winner to use towards a movie night out at Escape from Planet Earth!  

Goody bag sweet treats

Thanks to The Weinstein Co, for providing this sweet giveaway to our readers and for comping us press tickets to review an advanced screening.

Click Rafflecopter below to enter to win:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Escape From Planet Earth

The 3D animated family comedy catapults moviegoers to planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population.  A master of daring rescues, Scorch pulls off astonishing feats with the quiet aid of his nerdy, by-the-rules brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head of mission control at BASA.  When BASA’s no-nonsense chief Lena (Jessica Alba) informs the brothers of an SOS from a notoriously dangerous planet, Scorch rejects Gary’s warnings and bounds off for yet another exciting mission.  But when Scorch finds himself caught in a fiendish trap set by the evil Shanker (William Shatner) it’s up to scrawny, risk-averse Gary to do the real rescuing.  As the interplanetary stakes rise to new heights, Gary is left to save his brother, his planet, his beloved wife Kira (Sarah Jessica Parker) and their adventure-hungry son Kip (Jonathan Morgan Heit).

To learn more, please visit Escape Earth Movie here for free games, video clips, photos and more.

To elevate the viewing experience, you can also download the free “Escape From Planet Earth” Movie App that is available for iOS and for Android here.

Valentine Fun:

You can print these free downloadable valentines from your home computer.  ChiIL Mama's stoked to premiere these funny valentines.

Educational Fun:

Click here for spacey fun facts that'll have your interplanetary IQ soaring

  

Disclosure:   This is a sponsored post.   Big thanks to The Weinstein Co. for providing us with review tickets for our family and the giveaway items mentioned above!  

INCOMING: My Gold Mask Playing Schubas 3/9

New LP 'Leave Me Midnight' Is Released February 19th!!  Tour Dates: March 2nd -  Milwaukee, WI - Mad Planet March 9th -  Chicago, IL - Schubas March 16th - Austin, TX -  SXSW (Hickory Street) March 19th -  Hot Springs, AR - Low Key Arts April 13th -  Cincinnati, OH -  MOTR April 26th -  Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews Praise For My Gold Mask "My Gold Mask gets mega sounds and emotion out of two instruments, their tense guitar whorls and crackling warbles perfect for this rainy morning" - Fader "...the Chicago duo's ominous brand of rock 'n' roll...concentrates heavily on drummer Gretta Rochelle's smoky, tribal howl and Jack Armondo's guttery electric guitar." - Magnet "...two of the most talented individuals we've discovered in the past year" - Sheena Beaston "Gretta Rochelle's soaring vocals bring a refreshing grunge sound ala Courtney Love to a very current sound.  Jack Armondo, brings an element to each song with great guitars to match her roaring vocals." - Off the Radar "Like a perfect steak dinner, your favorite jeans, or an old flame's kiss, My Gold Mask infuses some heart into the mundane, and makes it beautiful." - Pretty Much Amazing  Links Artist Website Artist Facebook Artist Twitter Check Out 'Burn Like The Sun' At Bullett!!! What began as a collaboration between longtime musical partners Gretta Rochelle and Jack Armondo (guitar), became less a means to an end, than the end itself. A deep wellspring of personal and musical experiences shaped their direction, and Chicago's My Gold Mask is a culmination, a fulfillment, of a long artistic road, that has lead them to their newest effort, Leave Me Midnight. Their new LP will be released February 19th, while the vinyl version is out March 12th on Highweel Records.  Informed by cinema (particularly Italian Giallo) and galvanized by the dimly-lit warehouse district where their rehearsal space lies, the two thrive in a radiant wash of reverb with a metallic-like symphony mainly comprised of just a nylon string guitar and drums. Tinged with thunderous melodies, theirs is a sound of vision – a recondite vision to be sure, but such is the essence of My Gold Mask. My Gold Mask began in 2009 with a well received self-titled nine-song debut. While still a band finding itself through experimentation, tracks like “Bitches” and “Your Coo Ka Choo” brought about comparisons to Siouxsie And The Banshees and inspired Big Stereo to say My Gold Mask “create songs that are a delicate balance between 90′s alternative rock gestures and futuristic gypsy tribe shit. But the real magic happens with the versatility of Gretta Rochelle’s vocals...” In 2010 the band saw the release of two intriguing EPs: A Thousand Voices and A Million Miles (From Where We Were Last) on their own Goldy Tapes label. Lush, aphotic songs like “Violet Eyes” and “Ghost In Your Bed” quickly made their way around the blogosphere leading Pitchfork to pronounce that "...the bottled lightning of ‘Violet Eyes’ makes My Gold Mask a band to watch." Pretty Much Amazing noted that the band "infuses some heart into the mundane, and makes it beautiful" and The Fader called their unique sound "goth-garage." Fashion designer Phillip Lim used music from both EPs in his 2010 Fashion Week fashion show and hosted an in-store performance by the band at his Phillip Lim 3.1 SoHo location for his Fashion’s Night Out event. Vogue dubbed it one of “The Ten Best Music Shows on Fashion’s Night Out.” In late 2011/early 2012 "Violet Eyes," "Ghost In Your Bed," and “All Up In The Air,” were all separately featured in episodes of the CW network’s uber-popular series, Gossip Girl.  2012 has been spent writing, recording and mixing Leave Me Midnight. Taking a "wall of sound" approach to recording, longtime collaborator and engineer Balthazar de Ley manned the board while My Gold Mask experimented with electronic drums and new sounds, creating a dense, exciting, and occasionally spooky place for their songs to live. They invited well-seasoned producer and engineer Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Pelican) to mix the record. This past season also brought to light a new live show lineup for the band. Gretta has stepped out from her full-time duties behind the drumkit to enjoy the role of front woman, making room for dynamic drummer, James Andrew, to take the stage with My Gold Mask. Andrew also played drums on four of the new album’s tracks. Meanwhile Jack continues to explore new ways of making guitars sound otherworldly: “Guitar is usually associated with rock music, but in writing this album I thought a lot about synth-based sounds, like on Black Celebration by Depeche Mode. I’m not really concerned with my guitar sounding like a guitar, per se. I’m constantly tweaking its sound,” says Armondo. This type of sonic experimentation gives My Gold Mask a unique approach to pop music that can be hard to pin down, but this adaptability came in handy when asked to collaborate with The Hood Internet on "Do You Give Up Now?" a track featured on their latest album FEAT released in 2012. With a sound that has crossed so many musical spectrums and their ability to deliver a powerful and engaging live show, My Gold Mask have shared the stage with such varied acts as Twin Shadow, Wavves, The New Pornographers, Japandroids, The Rapture, Blonde Redhead and Zambri, to name a few. Eager to continue the artistic evolution of the band; Jack and Gretta are back to writing before they head out on tour in support of Leave Me Midnight. Copyright © 2011 Tell All Your Friends.

ChiILin' At Chicago Auto Show #CASGM #greatcarhunt #CAS

ChiIL Mama's photo recap of Media Day Thursday--Sneak Peek at Chicago Auto Show 2013

I WON A COBALT BLUE CAMARO AT THE CHICAGO AUTO SHOW!!   Yeah, alright it is just 3" long, but now that I have your attention....   

There were some dramatic unveilings Thursday and some serious hot wheels....and I don't just mean the toys...though you can WIN one of those, too, in the Chevy exhibit.  Two people launch cars simultaneously and if you get yours in the funnel--you're a winner, baby.  These special edition Chicago Auto Show 2013 Hot Wheels are sure to be a favorite.   

Pictured above:  Eric Bjorklund assembles the Chevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels exhibit Wednesday, February 6, 2013, in preparation for the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois. The auto show opens to media on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

Good thing McCormick Place has an expert band of pros on hand to keep the cars spotless.  I think I already got my finger & nose prints pressed up against some of the windows, hungrily peering in.  And I may have even drooled a bit on a few hoods.  We particularly dug the special edition, life sized Hot Wheels Camaros in my absolute favorite color--one brand new release & a classic car from my birth year....   (Sorry, no spoilers, if you have to ask...go find out yourself.)

Fred Quinn details the Hot Wheels Chevrolet Camaro  Wednesday, February 6, 2013, in preparation for the opening of the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois. The auto show opens to media on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

ChiIL Mama's covering as much of the show as we can catch during media previews this Thursday and Friday.   Since we actually are looking to replace my RAV4 this year, I'm extra excited.   Check back with ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We're editing some rockin' video footage from our 2 Cadillac test drives Thursday and Buick's amazing philanthropy with Samaritan's Feet Friday!   

We'll have those clips and lots more stills, features, and great CAS tips for you in the coming week.

Even GM execs and sports celebs got in on the action with Samaritan's Feet and Buick!!   We'll have a full photo and video filled feature soon.

ChiIL out indeed, Chi IL!   Chevy's gotten smart with the Smart phone charging stations.   So when your phone dies from envy....shooting video & stills of all the amazing autos, you can revive it at Chevy's chill charging spots and revive your tired feet in a comfy seat as well.   The auto show's HUGE, so put on your walkin' shoes!

The new Chevrolet Silverado is shined up Wednesday, February 6, 2013, in preparation for the start of the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois. The auto show opens to media on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

Special shout out to GM for bring us in and wining and dining us.   It was great to see our friend and long time associate "Cadillac Connie" and meet new friends among the GM ranks as well.   GM's got an impressive social media presence, and it's been a pleasure working with them for the past several years.   We had a chance to do 3 GM extended test drives for a week, this past year, and have past and future coverage up under the tag #greatcarhunt.   Check out our photo & video filled adventures with the hot orange Camero SS, Equinox and Suburban!   We have loads more coverage to come.

That said, we're objective journalists here, and not exclusively in anyone's pocket.   Our blog is first and foremost for YOU, our readers, so we're being pretty equal opportunity, checking everyone out for our Chicago Auto Show coverage.   I've been a happy RAV4 driver since 2000, so we're not writing off Toyota quite yet,  and we also own a newer Montero Sport we've been pretty satisfied with.   We've been checking out Subaru, VW, Nissan and Ford's midsize crossover offerings as well.

Once again, check back with us early and often, for loads more Chicago Auto Show 2013 coverage.   Then get out there and experience CAS13 for yourself!

The 2014 Corvette Stingray drives onto the turntable in the Chevrolet exhibit Wednesday, February 6, 2013, in preparation for the start of the Chicago Auto Show in Chicago, Illinois. The auto show opens to media on Thursday, and to the public on Saturday. (Photo by Steve Fecht for Chevrolet)

TONIGHT ONLY-Julian Sands, A Celebration of Harold Pinter at Steppenwolf #Review

ChiIL Live Shows will be there....will YOU?!   There are a limited number of tickets still available for A Celebration of Harold Pinter, performed by British actor Julian Sands, directed by ensemble member John Malkovich on February 10 at 7:30pm in the Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). This is a one-night-only engagement.  

Click here to order your tickets for tonight's performance and for Steppenwolf’s current production of Pinter’s The Birthday Party .

I've been a fan of Nobel laureate Harold Pinter's work since I was first introduced to his plays in college in the 80's.  His witty word play and power dynamics on stage are compelling.  We checked out opening day of The Birthday Party, and kudos to Steppenwolf for presenting such a challenging work.  

The Birthday Party was reviled and misunderstood by critics when it was first produced, and it's still a mind bending, dialogue heavy piece without closure.   Virtually every statement is contradicted and the audience is left bewildered and  unsure who is sane and who insane.  Who is lying or lied to?  Even the on stage action remains unclear.  Despite a fantastic cast and excellent directing, there were audience members nodding off.  Critics took full advantage of the two intermissions to chug coffee, running Steppenwolf's concessions completely out of both coffee and cream!   In the elevator, after the show, one critic declared it a two martini play, and said he was heading for a drink, ASAP.  That said, it's Pinter's first work, and an intriguing dark comedy worth another look.   

We dig this excerpt from WSWS below:

Set in a seaside boarding house run by a childless couple, a lodger (Stanley) is confronted by two outsiders (Goldberg and McCann). They terrorise him, interrogate him and eventually take him away. It is never stated who or what they represent. The play has been described as a repertory thriller written by someone who had read Kafka, but this is not a paranoid Cold War period piece. The play is clear and unambiguous, with taut, spare dialogue. In a world of political anxieties, Pinter's play represents a confused world in the clearest possible way.

This is directly linked with his knowledge of earlier dramatists. In an early essay on Shakespeare, he wrote that he "amputates, deadens, aggravates at will, within the limits of a particular piece, but he will not pronounce judgment or cure." It is this same quality that makes Pinter's plays so understandable, and thus so terrifying.

The Hammersmith run of The Birthday Party was a disaster. The critics were hostile, and the play had closed before its one good review, by the influential Harold Hobson, was published in The Sunday Times, although that played a greater part in securing Pinter's future than the cancelled run. Over the next two years Pinter worked on a revival of the play and a television adaptation, as well as directing London premieres of The Room and The Dumb Waiter.

He also wrote revue sketches and a radio play, as well as other plays. Most importantly, he did not abandon his vision of theatrical writing. Trusting to the necessity of artistic expression he continued to "take a chance on the audience." As he said later, he gave the audience not what they wanted, but what he insisted on giving them. In The Birthday Party, when Stanley is being taken away, Petey cries out, "Stan, don't let them tell you what to do." Pinter called this line "the most important ... I've ever written." 

At a sleepy seaside boarding house in England, the humdrum routine of corn flakes, newspapers and naps is interrupted by the appearance of two mysterious strangers. They become guests at longtime tenant Stanley's surprise birthday party which, after a few glasses of whiskey, party games and a mysterious blackout, turns into a deliciously impalpable nightmare. As excuses and alliances hastily shift, so does the truth in Harold Pinter's riveting dark-comic masterpiece. 

SYNOPSIS

Harold Pinter was a director, actor and one of the most influential modern British dramatists, winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. His celebrated, ultimately undefinable classic The Birthday Party derives its power from Pinter's brilliantly mysterious yet comic riff on the absurd terrors of the everyday.

Check out ChiIL Live Show's past coverage, including show details, for The Birthday Party and for A Celebration of Harold Pinter here.   Click here for our review of The Motherf**ker With the Hat, highly recommended and also now playing at Steppenwolf.

REVOCATION Enter the Studio #originalshowshots #metal

Live Dates With Goatwhore, 3 Inches of Blood and Ramming Speed Confirmed Massachusetts metallers REVOCATION have entered the studio to begin work on the follow up to their critically acclaimed 2011 Relapse Records release Chaos of Forms.  This will be the first full length album with bass player Brett Bamberger who joined the band in 2012 and was featured on the band's last EP Teratogenesis which was released by Scion AV.   Frontman Dave Davidson commented on the start of the recording process: "What's up guys, today we've entered the studio to record our upcoming full length with long time producer and drinking buddy Pete Rutcho. We'll be recording the drums at The Brick Hithouse Studio and then finish up the rest of the tracking at Damage Studios. This is shaping up to be some of our most aggressive material to date and will be the next logical step forward from our last EP. The songs on this upcoming record have a great deal of diversity to them and employ a variety of different techniques, tunings and tempos.  We are incredibly stoked to begin this process and can't wait for our fans to hear the finished product. More details as they develop..." The band will take a quick break from working on their new album this Spring when they hit the road with Goatwhore, 3 Inches of Blood, and Ramming Speed.  REVOCATION joins the tour in Bucksport, ME on April 28th and will play six shows winding things down in Toronto on May 3rd.  A complete list of dates is below.  Updated REVOCATION news and tour information will be made available at the Relapse Records website, & the REVOCATION Facebook page. REVOCATION with Goatwhore, 3 Inches of Blood and Ramming Speed 4/28: Bucksport, ME @ The Kave  4/29: Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus  4/30: Burlington, VT @ Nectar's  5/1: Middletown, NY @ Sounds Asylum  5/2: Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar  5/3: Toronto, ON @ Opera House

Check out ChiIL Live Shows original Revocation show shots and past features here.   

We've also got a sweet video interview coming soon.

ACT OUT OPENING: Columbinus at ATC

ATC's world premier of the revised columbinus opens tonight, and we're very much looking forward to this timely piece.   We'll have a full review for our readers shortly.   

AMERICAN THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE REVISED VERSION OF

columbinus

Written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli

Dramaturgy by Patricia Hersch

Conceived and Directed by Artistic Director PJ Paparelli

In the mean time click here for all the basics in our columbinus feature from January 8th.

Schedule:                  Thursdays & Fridays: 8:00 p.m .

Saturdays: 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays: 2:00 p.m.

There will be an additional performance on Tuesday, February 5 at 7 p.m.

Location: American Theater Company, 1909 W Byron St., Chicago

Tickets: Previews: $33

Regular run: Thurs, Sat matinees, Sun matinees $38

Fri & Sat evenings $43

Opening night including post-show reception $50

As part of Chicago Theater Week, a limited number of $15 tickets will be available for all performances February 14 – 17, 2013.

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 1909 W Byron St., Chicago;

773.409.4125; www.atcweb.org

American Theater Company announces the world premiere of the revised version of columbinus, written by Stephen Karam and PJ Paparelli, with dramaturgy by Patricia Hersch, and conceived and directed by Artistic Director PJ Paparelli. The 2013 production will premiere material devised from recent interviews with survivors of the Columbine High School Shootings, families of victims and residents of Littleton, Colorado. The new material includes never-before-released information on the shooters and their families and first-hand accounts of both the Columbine and Aurora shootings.

columbinus will run through March 10, 2013, at American Theater Company, 1909 W Byron St, Chicago, IL. 

Littleton, Colorado. 1999. Two teenagers devastate a community and shock the country when they walk into their suburban high school and kill twelve students and one teacher. Based on interviews with teenagers across the country and survivors and community members in Littleton, this haunting drama takes a hard look at modern teenagers through the lens of the most infamous high school shooting in American history.

“Folks who didn’t want to talk before because of lawsuits or their healing process, have now all opened up,” said Paparelli about the recent interviews. “I was shocked at what I heard and I am glad that theater will be the vehicle to get this information out to the world.”

Several survivors who are featured in the documentary play will travel to Chicago to work with the cast and attend Opening Night.

Paparelli continues, “The events in Newtown have saddened and, frankly, angered our entire company as well as those survivors from Columbine with whom we have been working with so closely on this project. While the nation mourns, a passionate dialogue has begun about the larger issues of gun control, mental health treatment, and ultimately, the unanswerable question of, “why?”. Our interviewees in Colorado and our artistic team hope that columbinus will be forum for Chicagoans to further that dialogue, which is exactly why teenagers from Chicago Public School are at the center of that dialogue, as they work on the play in classrooms around the city.”

Over 1000 ninth grade students in Chicago Public Schools English classes will have a first-hand experience with columbinus. Through ATC’s American Mosaic program and in conjunction with the city-wide initiative to address violence in the schools, Now Is The Time, ATC teaching artists will collaborate with classroom teachers to lead students in a performance-based study of the play. Through American Mosaic, ATC hopes to strengthen reading competency and comprehension, spark interest in reading and lead and inspire meaningful conversation about solutions to violence.

Monster Jam Video, Ticket Discount & Fun Facts #ChiMonsterJam

Monster Jam-ChiIL Mama's Original Video Footage 


Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam 2012--opening night at Allstate Arena in Chicago.  Like the music?   It's Red Fang's tune, Dirt Wizard.   Check 'em out.

Check out our past coverage here, including original photo filled Monster Jam features.

Our readers get 30% off advanced adult tickets with the code MOM.

Check your Monster Truck Trivia Level with these Fun Facts...then try to stump your family & friends:

1. Body
   – Made of_____________, a monster truck body is custom designed to
   create a character or theme for the truck.
   1. Fiberglass
   2. Steel
   3. Iron

2. Driver
   Seat – Most monster trucks have the driver seated
   ______________the vehicle so he or she can best see the track for
   weight distribution.
   1. in
      the center of
   2. on
      top of
   3. on
      the left side of

3. As
   a safety measure, all seat belts employ ________________ to restrain
   the driver’s body.
   1. an
      auto-lock feature
   2. a
      5 point harness
   3. an
      escape pod

4. Paint
   – Most Monster Jam® monster trucks require _______________ of
   paint time.
   1. more
      than 25 days
   2. more
      than 40 hours
   3. less
      than 10 hours

5. Engines
   – Custom-built, supercharged and methanol-injected, a monster
   truck engine burns up to _________________ of methanol per run
   (approximately 80 meters) and delivers about __________________.
   1. 30
      liters; 2,000 horsepower
   2. 10
      liters; 1,500 horsepower
   3. 5
      liters; 1,000 horsepower

6. Suspension
   System – In order to allow the drivers to withstand the punishing
   impacts of jumping and crashing a monster truck during a
   performance, each Monster Jam monster truck is equipped with
   specially-engineered extra long 76cm shock absorbers filled with oil
   and ________________________ that are installed with each tire.
   1. vinegar
      
   2. water
   3. nitrogen
      gas

7. Each
   monster truck tire is custom made but must be ______________ inches
   high and _____________ inches wide.
   1. 120;
      99
   2. 33;
      33
   3. 66;
      43

8. The
   average monster truck team will go through _____________ tires in
   one year.
   1. 80
   2. 8
   3. 20

9. ________________
   was the 25 year
   anniversary for the Grave Digger Team
   1. 2005
   2. 2010
   3. 2007

10. More
    than ____________________ Monster Jam fans attend events each year
    worldwide
    1. 1
       million
    2. 2
       million
    3. 4
       million

11. The
    World Finals in ____________________ brings 24 of the top trucks in
    the world to compete for the World Freestyle and Racing
    Championships. Competitors are by invitation only.
    1. Houston,
       TX
    2. Las
       Vegas, NV
    3. Atlanta,
       GA

12. A
    monster truck race team will travel _______________ Miles a year by
    land to attend events.
    1. 45,000
    2. 1
       million
    3. 27,000

13. Typical
    monster trucks cost ___________________ yearly to build, staff,
    compete, transport and maintain on the Monster Jam tour.
    1. $1
       million
    2. $350,000
    3. $600,000

14. Average
    number of cars crushed per year: _____________________.
    1. 3,000
    2. 500
    3. 1,000