June 2009

Gen Art Film Festival: Chicago Red Carpet With Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marc Webb, Scott Caan

CHICAGO – The Gen Art Film Festival here had red carpet events last week for two movie premieres, “(500) Days of Summer” with star Joseph Gordon-Levitt and director Marc Webb, plus “Mercy” with star and writer Scott Caan.

DVD Review: Criterion Collection Invites You to ‘My Dinner With Andre’

My Dinner With Andre

CHICAGO – I have to admit to having more respect for “My Dinner With Andre” than getting actual enjoyment from the talkative film itself. I understand the praise and awards that the film won and can see how it would have sent a ripple through the art movie world in 1981 when it was released, but I’ve never been a fan of Wallace Shawn, Andre Gregory, and Louis Malle’s film that brings new meaning to the phrase “dialogue-based”.

Video: HD Teaser Trailer For ‘The Last Airbender’ From M. Night Shyamalan

Dev Patel in The Last Airbender from M. Night Shyamalan

CHICAGO – Paramount Pictures has just released the HD teaser trailer for the new M. Night Shyamalan film “The Last Airbender,” which stars Jackson Rathbone, Nicola Peltz, Cliff Curtis, Dev Patel (from the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”), Noah Ringer, Jessica Andres, Seychelle Gabriel, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi and Keong Sim.

Interview: Nia Vardalos on Her Life as Greek Goddess, Gabby Awards

CHICAGO – In making a Chicago appearance at the Gabby Awards, which honored prominent Greek Americans, actress Nia Vardalos justifiably follows through on the heritage displayed in her hit “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

DVD Review: Chuck Jones’ Masterful ‘Tom and Jerry’ Shorts Finally Available

Tom and Jerry

CHICAGO – Like a lot of people, “Tom and Jerry” was a major part of my childhood. When I was younger, there weren’t nearly as many choices for children’s entertainment and I wonder if kids nowadays even know who Tom and Jerry are. We may not have had 500 channels, but when you have Tom, Jerry, the Looney Tunes gang, and the Muppets, you don’t need them.

Chicago Pride Day Video: Overview of 4 Gay-Themed Films

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CHICAGO – Happy Chicago Pride Day from HollywoodChicago.com! Attached are two videos featuring HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Patrick McDonald with overviews on four gay-themed films: “Parting Glances” (1986), “Cruising” (1980), “Desert Hearts” (1985) and “Stonewall” (1995).

‘My Sister’s Keeper’: An Emotional Look at a Modern Moral Dilemma

Cameron Diaz and Sofia Vassilieva in My Sister's Keeper

CHICAGO – The advancement of medicine has brought about many things: longer life-expectancy, treatments for serious illnesses such as cancer, artificial conception, and genetic modification. Though there are positive aspects to each of these things, inherent within each are moral dilemmas we will have to face.

‘My Sister’s Keeper’: An Emotional Look at a Modern Moral Dilemma

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – The advancement of medicine has brought about many things: longer life-expectancy, treatments for serious illnesses such as cancer, artificial conception, and genetic modification. Though there are positive aspects to each of these things, inherent within each are moral dilemmas we will have to face.

Just for Laughs Chicago: Lisa Lampanelli vs. HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – Two intrepid HollywoodChicago.com reporters – Patrick McDonald and Alissa Norby – faced off against the “queen of mean” – comic Lisa Lampanelli – with the help of ace HC photog Joe Arce. Who will come out of this pit morally alive?

TV Review: HBO’s ‘Hung’ With Thomas Jane is Surprisingly Limp

CHICAGO – Pardon the obvious metaphors, but when you name a show “Hung” and feature a motivational speech about the lead character finding “his tool,” it’s damn-near impossible not to fall into the same pattern.

Suffering Cardiac Arrest, King of Pop Michael Jackson Dies at 50

CHICAGO – Michael Jackson, who is widely regarded as the king of pop music, is dead at the age of 50, the Los Angeles Times confirmed on Thursday.

Farrah Fawcett of TV’s ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Dies of Cancer at 62

CHICAGO – Actress Farrah Fawcett, who rose to fame by starring in 29 episodes of TV’s “Charlie’s Angels” from 1976 to 1980, has died of anal cancer in the ICU at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., according to her representative.

Video Game Review: ‘Prototype’ Plays Like a Superhero Greatest Hit

Prototype

CHICAGO – Activision’s action game “Prototype” blends elements of several previous superhero icons into one massive superpowered experience that has a few visceral thrills and concepts that make it worth a look but some gameplay and storytelling issues that hold it back from true greatness.

Blu-Ray Review: Amazing ‘Waltz With Bashir’ a Must-See in HD

Bashir

CHICAGO – Ari Folman’s amazing “Waltz With Bashir” defies easy description. It may sound cliched but it is literally unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Folman’s amazing film should have won Best Foreign Language Film (it lost the Oscar to the inferior “Departures”) and should have also been nominated for Best Animated Film and Best Documentary. Don’t miss it.

‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is Galaxies Away From its Predecessor

Optimus Prime in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

CHICAGO – There are often many reasons sequels should not be made. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is one of them. Seeking that “Allspark” exhilaration pumped into many of us from the original “Transformers,” moviegoers will flock to the sequel with anticipation.

‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is Galaxies Away From its Predecessor

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.5/5.0
Rating: 1.5/5.0

CHICAGO – There are often many reasons sequels should not be made. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is one of them.

Seeking that “Allspark” exhilaration pumped into many of us from the original “Transformers,” moviegoers will flock to the sequel with anticipation.

Oscars: Best Picture Category to Expand to 10 Nominees in 2010

Oscars

CHICAGO – In a shocking announcement today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that there will be ten nominees for Best Picture next year instead of the usual five.

Interview: ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar

CHICAGO – “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”, opening June 24th, is the second film in the series based on the Hasbro toy/cartoon. Scott Farrar, whose long career has roots in the first “Star Wars”, supervised all the complex visual effects.

Blu-Ray Review: Brendan Fraser’s Dull ‘Inkheart’ Fails to Come to Life

Inkheart

CHICAGO – Iain Softley’s “Inkheart” is about a man who can literally read characters into existence. They pop off the page and into reality. Sadly, the film that tells his story is shockingly dull and inert, a movie that is about stimulating a young reader’s imagination but is too boring to keep their attention.

If We Had an Emmy Ballot: The Best TV of 2008 to 2009

CHICAGO – Ballots for the 61st Annual Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy nominations are due on Friday, June 26th, 2009, and we’re here to offer some advice for all of you Emmy voters still holding a ballot in your hands and trying to make those tough TV decisions.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Seventh Seal’ Still Dazzles From Criterion

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CHICAGO – What more is there to write about “The Seventh Seal”? Dozens of scholars more renowned than myself have already examined virtually every shot of the film. It has been dissected and discussed in dozens of languages and continues to be one of the most influential pieces of work in the history of its medium. The new Criterion Blu-Ray edition makes it clear why.

Video Game Review: Incredibly Deep ‘Red Faction Guerilla’ Makes Explosive Good Time

CHICAGO – It turns out the revolution will be televised and you’ll be able to blow a lot of stuff up during it. THQ’s clever and incredibly deep “Red Faction Guerilla” is one of the most intense and exhaustive experiences of the season.

Blu-Ray Review: Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove’ Still Resonates

Dr. Strangelove

CHICAGO – Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love the Bomb” is nearly as important a film today as when it was released, over 45 years ago. The Anniversary Special Edition of the comedy classic is now available on Blu-Ray and it’s a must-own for any true film historian.

DVD Review: Take a Bite Out of ‘The Hunger: The Complete First Season’

The Hunger

CHICAGO – “The Hunger” is one of the more unusual entries in the history of the TV anthology series, a personal favorite sub-genre of this writer raised on “The Twilight Zone,” “The Outer Limits,” “Tales From the Crypt,” and “Amazing Stories”. It has amazing star power, a loose relation to a great ’80s horror movie, and enough thrills to entertain, but has been largely forgotten by TV history.

Just for Laughs Chicago: Martin Short on His Own Character

Martin Short

CHICAGO – Martin Short, the classic comic performer of SCTV, Saturday Night Live and film, came to Chicago as part of Superstation TBS “Just for Laughs” Festival, hosting and performing in the “Let Freedom Hum” revue on June 17th.

Just for Laughs Chicago: Wrangling the Free-Wheelin’ Andy Dick

CHICAGO – Andrew R. “Andy” Dick is one of the most brilliantly infamous and misunderstood comic forces in the last twenty years. Appearing at Superstation TBS “Just for Laughs” Festival in Chicago, he combined farce, music and pure Andy in his show.

Free ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ Trailer Released For iTunes, iPod

CHICAGO – The trailer for the highly anticipated “Twilight” sequel “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” which stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Ashley Greene, is now available on iTunes and for your iPod.

The teaser trailer for “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” can now be downloaded on iTunes for free by clicking “Movies” and then “Theatrical Trailers”.

‘The Proposal’ a Marriage of Talents From Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock

The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock

CHICAGO – At some point in our lives, most of us have had to reach slightly above our job descriptions to appease a demanding boss. Common themes from making coffee to picking up dry cleaning are familiar and often tolerated as one strives to “get ahead”.

‘The Proposal’ a Marriage of Talents From Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – At some point in our lives, most of us have had to reach beyond our job descriptions to appease a demanding boss. Common themes from making coffee to picking up dry cleaning are familiar and often tolerated as one strives to “get ahead”.

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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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