June 2012

TV Review: Showtime’s ‘Weeds’ Returns For Promising Final Season

CHICAGO – Jenji Kohan’s “Weeds” was one of the best comedies on television in its first few seasons on Showtime. From 2005-2008, it was easily one of the best half-hour programs on TV, netting Emmy nominations every year, including ones for Best Comedy, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 ‘An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars’ DVDs

An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars DVD

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 5 free DVDs up for grabs to “An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars” starring Jade Pettyjohn as McKenna Brooks!

Film Review: Woody Allen’s ‘To Rome with Love’ is Episodic, Choppy

CHICAGO – Writer/director Woody Allen continues his film travelogues in “To Rome with Love,” touring The Eternal City with four separate vignettes. An all-star cast – including Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz and Woody himself – hit and miss with this varying blend of stories.

Woody Allen’s ‘To Rome with Love’ is Episodic, Choppy

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Writer/director Woody Allen continues his film travelogues in “To Rome with Love,” touring The Eternal City with four separate vignettes. An all-star cast – including Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz and Woody himself – hit and miss with this varying blend of stories.

Film News: Joe Swanberg to Premiere Two Films at Chicago Filmmakers on July 5, 2012

Marriage Material Film Review

CHICAGO – Wildly prolific indie filmmaker Joe Swanberg (“Hannah Takes the Stairs,” “Uncle Kent”) will return to his hometown of Chicago on Thursday, July 5th, for a double feature of two new films, “Caitlin Plays Herself” and “Marriage Material.” The event kicks off at 8pm at Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark St., and will include a live Q&A with Swanberg himself.

Film Review: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks in Moving ‘People Like Us’

People Like Us
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “People Like Us” is an old-fashioned tearjerker with everything that phrase implies. It’s undeniably manipulative and sentimental but it’s also somewhat refreshing to see a drama that isn’t laced with irony, cynicism, or some form of postmodern commentary on the genre. “People Like Us” is a film that wants you to be moved; it wants you to cry; it wants you to feel something. Some audiences will be turned off by the blatant melodrama but the honest approach works for me and the strong performances from the cast clearly enlivened by the material elevates it beyond processed cheese.

Film Review: Channing Tatum Reveals the Male Stripper in ‘Magic Mike’

CHICAGO – It turns out that Channing Tatum did a bit of male stripping on the way up the show business ladder, which adds some spice and verisimilitude to “Magic Mike,” a backstage tale about the masculine side of theatrical disrobing, supported by Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer.

Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks in Moving ‘People Like Us’

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

CHICAGO – “People Like Us” is an old-fashioned tearjerker with everything that phrase implies. It’s undeniably manipulative and sentimental but it’s also somewhat refreshing to see a drama that isn’t laced with irony, cynicism, or some form of postmodern commentary on the genre. “People Like Us” is a film that wants you to be moved; it wants you to cry; it wants you to feel something.

Channing Tatum Reveals the Male Stripper in ‘Magic Mike’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – It turns out that Channing Tatum did a bit of male stripping on the way up the show business ladder, which adds some spice and verisimilitude to “Magic Mike,” a backstage tale about the masculine side of theatrical disrobing, supported by Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Superman vs. The Elite’ Delivers the Goods for Comic Fans

Superman Vs The Elite Blu-ray

CHICAGO – It always takes a few minutes for viewers to adjust their eyes to the stiff, herky-jerky movements of characters in a direct-to-video animated film from DC Comics. “Superman vs. The Elite” opens with a cheeseball caricature of the Man of Steel headlining an outdated kiddie cartoon. It’s pretty silly, but at least the satirical characters are far more expressive than the “real” Superman once he rears his blandly noble head.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Pairs of Must-See 3D IMAX Passes to ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

CHICAGOSpidey is back! In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 25 admit-two 3D IMAX movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the massively anticipated new Spidey film “The Amazing Spider-Man” starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone!

Film Review: Fearless Comedy of Seth MacFarlane’s Original ‘Ted’

CHICAGO – “Ted” is one of the most inventive and surprising films of the year. It has a sense of humor that will be very familiar to fans of writer/director Seth MacFarlane’s “Family Guy” but is refreshingly unique in a film genre that is too often stale. In fact, most of the Summer 2012 movies have been incredibly predictable and there’s NOTHING predictable about “Ted.”

Fearless Comedy of Seth MacFarlane’s Original ‘Ted’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – “Ted” is one of the most inventive and surprising films of the year. It has a sense of humor that will be very familiar to fans of writer/director Seth MacFarlane’s “Family Guy” but is refreshingly unique in a film genre that is too often stale. In fact, most of the Summer 2012 movies have been incredibly predictable and there’s NOTHING predictable about “Ted.”

Blu-ray Review: Dank Drama ‘In Darkness’ Tells Familiar Tale Beautifully Well

In Darkness Blu-ray

CHICAGO – There were countless foreign films in 2011 more deserving of an Oscar nod than Agnieszka Holland’s “In Darkness.” The film lacks the brutal edge, gut-wrenching tension and memorable characterizations that distinguished so many similar Holocaust-era dramas. Yet the lukewarm “been there, done that” reaction of many American critics has left me rather mystified.

TV Review: FX’s ‘Louie’ Continues to Stun with Its Brilliance

CHICAGO – I’ve seen a lot of TV in the decade-plus I’ve been covering the medium (much less the decades before that when I was purely a fan) and I can very rarely say something like this — you’ve never seen anything like “Louie.” The FX hit returns tonight on the network and reclaims its title as the best comedy on TV.

TV Review: ‘Wilfred’ with Elijah Wood Returns for More Quirky Humor

Wilfred S2

CHICAGO – I really wish I liked FX’s “Wilfred” more. It’s a decent show with elements of greatness (especially in Elijah Wood’s charismatic lead performance) that never quite clicks into something that finds its own potential. It’s like that stoner who tells you a joke that starts strong and eventually only becomes funny to him as he loses track of the punchline.

TV Review: Charlie Sheen Wastes Your Time on ‘Anger Management’

CHICAGO – Charlie Sheen opens his new sitcom “Anger Management,” debuting tomorrow night on FX in a new comedy block with “Wilfred,” “Louie,” and “Brand X,” by yelling right to the camera.

Film Feature: The Top 10 Underrated Woody Allen Films

CHICAGO – Just as Groucho Marx refused to join any club that would have him as a member, Woody Allen would most likely turn down any invite from an adoring fan club. He’s repeatedly voiced his belief that he doesn’t have a high regard for his own work, and recently told documentarian Robert B. Weide that he could live a life devoid of cinema as long as there was a sports team to follow.

Interviews: Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello Disrobe ‘Magic Mike’

CHICAGO – Beefcake is on parade in the new film “Magic Mike,” about a troupe of male strippers in sunny Florida. The film was partially based on the true life experiences of Channing Tatum, who did perform briefly in his late teens. In the film he is Magic Mike, and Joe Manganiello portrays “Big Dick” Ritchie.

Film Review: ‘The Invisible War’ Details Shocking Horrors Faced by True Heroes

The Invisible War
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 5.0/5.0
Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – A female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is less likely to be hit by enemy fire than she is to be sexually assaulted by a fellow soldier. If that doesn’t chill you to the bone and make your blood boil, I don’t want to know you. It’s shameful, disgusting, and infuriating and Kirby Dick’s “The Invisible War” brilliantly brings this under-reported story to the surface in a way that makes it one of the best documentaries of the last several years.

‘The Invisible War’ Details Shocking Horrors Faced by True Heroes

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

CHICAGO – A female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is less likely to be hit by enemy fire than she is to be sexually assaulted by a fellow soldier. If that doesn’t chill you to the bone and make your blood boil, I don’t want to know you. It’s shameful, disgusting, and infuriating and Kirby Dick’s “The Invisible War” brilliantly brings this under-reported story to the surface in a way that makes it one of the best documentaries of the last several years.

Film News: ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ Director Nora Ephron Dies at Age 71

CHICAGO – Six years after her diagnosis of preleukemia, filmmaker Nora Ephron died Tuesday, June 26, in a New York hospital at age 71. She leaves behind a legacy that began with her work as a celebrated essayist and continued through a successful film career that earned her three Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 15 Pairs of Guaranteed Chicago Passes to ‘Katy Perry: Part of Me’

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 15 admit-two guaranteed movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated new Katy Perry film “Katy Perry: Part of Me”!

Interview: Chris Pine, Alex Kurtzman Find ‘People Like Us’

CHICAGO – Writer/director Alex Kurtzman has been an incredibly powerful creative voice in the world of sci-fi from TV’s “Fringe” to film’s “Star Trek” & “Transformers” but his new work comes from someplace much more personal. Starring Chris Pine, “People Like Us” was born from Kurtzman’s own desire to find the half-siblings that his father had left behind years earlier.

If I Had an Emmy Ballot: The Best TV of 2011 to 2012

CHICAGO – So you’re an Academy voter who has put off filling out your ballot for the 2011-12 season. I understand. It’s been a ridiculously tough year for me to pick and choose my dream nominees for the major categories and my votes don’t even count. Maybe you want some help? We’re all about charity here. As someone who’s seen more TV in the last year than most people do in their lives, let me guide the way.

DVD Review: ‘Franklin & Bash: The Complete First Season’

Franklin & Bash

CHICAGO – Fans of “Franklin & Bash” may have a reasonable bit of concern given the so-so ratings of the TNT program. We here at HC have defended the show a few times (in this interview and this review) and the recently-released DVD from Sony is another solid offering (although it’s obnoxious to not offer a 2011 program on Blu-ray) but poor Breckin Meyer & Mark-Paul Gosselaar aren’t quite delivering like several of the other cable hits of the season.

DVD Review: ‘The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series’

The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series

CHICAGO – Shout Factory has become a spectacular DVD studio for a mix of unexpected releases. They have their stable of classic TV but they also own the rights to some modern favorites which leads to unique box sets like “The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series.”

Interview: Todd Solondz Embraces Ambiguity, Maintains Empathy in ‘Dark Horse’ with Selma Blair

CHICAGO – The term “arrested development” could easily be applied not only to every character in a Todd Solondz picture, but every neurotic man-child currently populating the vast majority of Hollywood comedies.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes to ‘Savages’ From Oliver Stone with Taylor Kitsch

CHICAGOOliver Stone is back! In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated new Oliver Stone film “Savages”!

Box Office News: Pixar Tops Box Office Again with Solid ‘Brave’ Opening

Brave

CHICAGO – Disney/Pixar topped the box office again with their 13th-straight first place debut for the adventure film “Brave” while “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” couldn’t find the public vein and had to settle for a disappointing 3rd place. With “Madagascar 3” dropping slowly to second place, kids movies dominated the box office. Meanwhile, no ONE wanted to find Steve Carell’s latest dramedy as its tenth place opening landed with a thud (and a remarkably low per-screen average).

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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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