December 2012

Film News: ‘The Master’ Leads 2012 Chicago Film Critics Association Nominees

CHICAGO – Paul Thomas Anderson’s divisive “The Master” led the 2012 Chicago Film Critics Association nominees on Friday morning with a stunning ten.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 Pairs of Passes to Sort-Of ‘Knocked Up’ Sequel ‘This is 40’

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 30 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of “This is 40,” which is the sort-of sequel to “Knocked Up” from Judd Apatow!

Film Review: Truly Disappointing Trek of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’

CHICAGO – Twice as many frames per second and another dimension only serve to amplify the notable flaws of Peter Jackson’s truly disappointing “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” a bloated, dull mess of a film that meanders when it should move and stumbles when it should run.

Truly Disappointing Trek of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’

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

CHICAGO – Twice as many frames per second and another dimension only serve to amplify the notable flaws of Peter Jackson’s truly disappointing “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” a bloated, dull mess of a film that meanders when it should move and stumbles when it should run. Paced like a high school student writing a paper to meet a word count but without anything actually worth writing, this incredibly slow CGI adventure barely merits comparison to Jackson’s masterful “Lord of the Rings” films other than to point out how much this work reminds one of another start to a prequel trilogy that quickly earned fan spite.

Blu-ray Review: Unnecessary ‘Men in Black 3’ Bolstered by Brilliant Ensemble

Men in Black 3 Blu-ray

CHICAGO – 2012 contained three great Tommy Lee Jones performances, and one of them was delivered by Josh Brolin. Whereas Jones himself was flat-out brilliant in “Hope Springs” and “Lincoln,” he was assigned the thankless task of playing second (or third) banana to the wisecracking, increasingly Bugs Bunny-like Will Smith in Barry Sonnenfeld’s wholly unnecessary third installment in the “Men in Black” franchise.

Blu-ray Review: Ken Burns’ ‘The Dust Bowl’ Resonates Today

The Dust Bowl

CHICAGO – One of the greatest gifts that Ken Burns has as arguably our best working documentarian is his ability to take historical subjects and make them resonate to our lives today. “The Civil War” transports us back in time, making the lives of those people relate to our own. His amazing “The Central Park Five,” which opened last week in Chicago and was given 4-stars by Patrick McDonald, is playing in theaters and his PBS documentary “The Dust Bowl” was recently released on Blu-ray and DVD. Once again, Burns takes history and makes it present.

Blu-ray Feature: The 10 Best Blu-rays of 2012

CHICAGO – It’s that wonderful time of year when we look back on the 11 months that just sped by and try to capture what was best, worst, overlooked, and more. While most of these pieces will just make people disagree, our annual cavalcade of year-end features starts with a piece that you can use to do your holiday shopping!

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes to Zombie Film ‘Warm Bodies’ With John Malkovich

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 the new zombie epidemic film “Warm Bodies” with John Malkovich!

Film Review: ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Turns CIA Procedural Into Riveting Thriller

CHICAGO – Kathryn Bigelow opens her stunning “Zero Dark Thirty” with a date and a series of voice mail recordings. The date is, of course, September 11, 2001 and the recordings are the ghosts of the people who died that day, perfectly setting the stakes for the story to come – the hunt for and capture of Osama Bin Laden.

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Turns CIA Procedural Into Riveting Thriller

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

CHICAGO – Kathryn Bigelow opens her stunning “Zero Dark Thirty” with a date and a series of voice mail recordings. The date is, of course, September 11, 2001 and the recordings are the ghosts of the people who died that day, perfectly setting the stakes for the story to come – the hunt for and capture of Osama Bin Laden.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes to ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ With Bill Murray as FDR

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 “Hyde Park on Hudson” with Bill Murray as Franklin D. Roosevelt!

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 Blu-ray, DVD Combo Packs to ‘The Bourne Legacy’ With Jeremy Renner

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Combo Pack with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 5 free Blu-ray and DVD combo packs up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “The Bourne Legacy” starring Jeremy Renner!

Interview: Co-Directors Sarah Burns, David McMahon of ‘The Central Park Five’

Centrai Park Five photo by Patrick McDonald

CHICAGO – It was Sarah Burns, the daughter of legendary documentarian Ken Burns, that brought the passion for her first project with her famous father, along with husband and co-director David McMahon. “The Central Park Five” also features Raymond Santana, one of “five” who were wrongly accused in the famous New York City trial. They were all here in October at the Chicago International Film Festival.

Film Review: Awful ‘Playing for Keeps’ Wastes Talents of Notable Cast

CHICAGO – When will the movie universe stop lionizing the upper middle class and their “problems” as a standard for storytelling? The idiotic crawl of “Playing for Keeps” is a prime example of that style, a sad exercise in contradictions that pass for narrative. Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid and Catherine Zeta-Jones get punked by the script.

Awful ‘Playing for Keeps’ Wastes Talent of Notable Cast

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

CHICAGO – When will the movie universe stop lionizing the upper middle class and their “problems” as a standard for storytelling? The idiotic crawl of “Playing for Keeps” is a prime example of that style, a sad exercise in contradictions that pass for narrative. Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid and Catherine Zeta-Jones get punked by the script.

Film Review: Bizarre Friendship Forms in Center of ‘Starlet’

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

CHICAGO – Sean Baker’s “Starlet” is about an incredibly unlikely friendship between two women six decades apart and, like a lot of acclaimed independent films, it plays like an interesting short story adapted to celluloid. The first forty-five minutes of Baker’s debut really work, as the writer/director works with his two talented leads to craft an interesting character study. When the film has to get into more depth regarding its characters futures and pasts, it falters a bit but there’s still a lot to like here.

Bizarre Friendship Forms in Center of ‘Starlet’

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

CHICAGO – Sean Baker’s “Starlet” is about an incredibly unlikely friendship between two women six decades apart and, like a lot of acclaimed independent films, it plays like an interesting short story adapted to celluloid. The first forty-five minutes of Baker’s debut really work, as the writer/director works with his two talented leads to craft an interesting character study. When the film has to get into more depth regarding its characters futures and pasts, it falters a bit but there’s still a lot to like here.

Film Review: Riveting Doc ‘Burn’ Chronicles City on Fire

Burn
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.5/5.0
Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Detroit, Michigan has more fires every year than any other city in the United States. As the city’s population dwindles (from 1.8 million in 1950 to just over 710k in 2010), people are burning what’s left behind to the tune of 30,000 fire calls a year. Executive produced by Denis Leary, the stellar documentary “Burn,” opening in Detroit and Chicago today, offers viewers a chance to spend a year in a Motown firehouse and the result is riveting filmmaking that both captures the personalities on the truck and the larger issues at play in a city on fire.

Riveting Doc ‘Burn’ Chronicles City on Fire

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.5/5.0
Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Detroit, Michigan has more fires every year than any other city in the United States. As the city’s population dwindles (from 1.8 million in 1950 to just over 710k in 2010), people are burning what’s left behind to the tune of 30,000 fire calls a year. Executive produced by Denis Leary, the stellar documentary “Burn,” opening in Detroit and Chicago today, offers viewers a chance to spend a year in a Motown firehouse and the result is riveting filmmaking that both captures the personalities on the truck and the larger issues at play in a city on fire.

Film Review: Miscarriage of Justice Befalls ‘The Central Park Five’

CHICAGO – It takes a provocative subject to capture the attention of famous documentarian Ken Burns. There are few things more provocative than the story of “The Central Park Five.” Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon were co-directors for this exploration of justice denied.

Miscarriage of Justice Befalls ‘The Central Park Five’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – It takes a provocative subject to capture the attention of famous documentarian Ken Burns. There are few things more provocative than the story of “The Central Park Five.” Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns and son-in-law David McMahon were co-directors for this exploration of justice denied.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Step Up Revolution’ Sleepwalks Through Recycled Steps

Step Up Revolution Blu-ray

CHICAGO – The kids in “Step Up” are hardly the children of a revolution. They stand up for nothing of consequence besides the right to dance wherever they please, even if it means blocking several lanes of traffic. There’s no brand of narcissism worse than the self-righteous variety, and these shiny-faced brats have it in spades.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 Blu-ray, DVD Combo Packs to ‘Ted’ with Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Combo Pack with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 5 free Blu-ray and DVD combo packs up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “Ted” starring Mark Wahlberg from “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane!

Blu-ray Review: Pixar’s ‘Brave’ Already Deserves Critical Second Look

Brave

CHICAGO – Disney/Pixar’s “Brave” was largely dismissed by most critics when it was released in theaters this Summer, even if audiences did seem more engaged, pushing the flick to over half-a-billion dollars worldwide and making heroine Merida one of Halloween’s most common costumes. Domestically, the film made more than “WALL-E,” “Ratatouille,” or “Cars 2.” So why did critics let it go so easily?

Video Game Review: ‘Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage’ is More of the Same with Sprinkles on Top

CHICAGO – I sat on my porch in balmy 56 degree December weather. It was windy for New England, but having spent years in Chicago it felt mostly like a light breeze.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 Free ‘Finding Nemo’ DVDs with Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 10 free DVDs up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of the beloved Disney/Pixar film “Finding Nemo” starring Ellen DeGeneres!

Film News: ‘Liberal Arts’ is Top Film at 2012 Best of the Midwest Awards

Best of the Midwest

CHICAGO – The Underground Night Club in Chicago was the scene on December 4th for the annual “Best of the Midwest” Awards, celebrating a year of cinema at the Midwest Independent Film Festival. The Fest Director Mike McNamara hosted the event and with his co-presenters gave out nine awards, including the Best Feature Film to “Liberal Arts,” directed by Josh Radnor (“How I Met Your Mother”).

Film News: Academy Announces Short List for Best Documentary Contenders

Ai Weiwei Never Sorry Film Review

CHICAGO – The short list for Academy Award contenders in the Best Documentary category have been announced. 15 potential nominees were selected with the utilization of new rules spearheaded by Academy Governor Michael Moore. Each entry was required to have screened for at least one week in Los Angeles and New York, and had to be reviewed by at least one newspaper.

Blu-ray Review: ‘The Apparition’ Ranks as One of 2012’s Worst Films

The Apparition Blu-ray

CHICAGO – Remember that scene in “Ghostbusters” where Sigourney Weaver slides toward a hellish demon while pinned to a chair? Or the utterly chilling moment in “Ju-On” where the contorted body of a vengeful spirit crawls toward its latest victim? Or how about that little indie movie about a young couple plagued by an inexplicable onslaught of paranormal activity?

Blu-ray Review: Stellar Release For Epic ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

CHICAGO – While a new Oscar bait release hitting theaters every week at this time of year as we work our way through films like “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Django Unchained,” and “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” it’s easy to forget that one of the films long-considered a likely Oscar player came out months ago.

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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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